Ancajas keeps reign, stops Gonzalez

MANILA, Philippines — Jerwin Ancajas fought a different opponent but came up with the same result yesterday, stopping Miguel Gonzalez of Chile in the sixth round at the Auditorio GNP in Puebla, Mexico.

It was the eighth defense of the IBF super-flyweight for Ancajas, who was originally scheduled to face Mexico’s Jonathan Rodriguez in Carson, California last Nov. 2.

Visa problems with the Mexican challenger caused the cancellation of the fight, and left Ancajas stranded in Los Angeles until his promoters found a new opponent.

It hardly mattered for Ancajas, who was all over his opponent from the opening bell. He was pummeling Gonzalez when the referee signaled the TKO win.

The 27-year-old Ancajas improved his record to 33-1-2 with 22 knockouts, and kept the crown he had held since 2016. Gonzalez fell to 31-3.

“I want to thank God for giving me the strength to win this fight and defend my title for an eighth time,” Ancajas told Philboxing.com.

“I am happy to bring glory to my country, and I want to continue doing so for a long time. In 2020, I will be prepared for what my team and Top Rank have planned for me. I want to unify titles,” he added.

Meanwhile, former world champion Marlon Tapales failed in his bid to win the IBF junior-featherweight crown after taking an 11th-round TKO loss to Japanese Ryosuke Iwasa in New York.