ESPN had a taste of Jerwin Ancajas when he fought on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn undercard this past summer and he’ll get another fight on the network in his U.S. debut.
During a press conference in the Philippines, it was announced that Ancajas will make his United States boxing debut on the February 3 Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card. Ancajas will defend his IBF junior bantamweight title when he faces Israel Gonzalez in the co-main event of the ESPN card, headlined by the WBO super middleweight title fight between Gilberto Ramirez and Habib Ahmed. The card will take place at the Bank of America Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
MP Promotions matchmaker Sean Gibbons also said in the press conference Ancajas is negotiating a contract with Top Rank. Ancajas is being promoted by Manny Pacquiao whom Top Rank also promotes. Ancajas is coming off his latest title defense against Jamie Conlan in which Ancajas knocked down three times.
During Ancajas' ESPN debut in the summer, the IBF champion scored an easy TKO win over Teiru Kinoshita in the co-main event of the Pacquiao vs. Horn fight. Ancajas won the IBF junior bantamweight title off of McJoe Arroyo last year and has made all three defenses in 2017.
Gonzalez, who has fought in Mexico throughout the entirety of his career, has won his past eight fights, four of which took place in 2017. Last year, Gonzalez scored a win over former WBO junior flyweight titleholder Ramon Garcia Hirales.
