FILE – Filipino boxer Jerwyn Ancajas makes his ring return in front of a Filipino crowd at Manny Pacquiao’s blow-by-blow on Sunday. – Steve Marcus/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines – Jerwin Ancajas’ comeback came to an abrupt end on Sunday, but not in the way the former world champion had hoped.
Fighting in front of his home crowd for the first time in eight years, Ancajas won by disqualification against Thai veteran Sukprasard Pongpitak in the co-main event of Manny Pacquiao’s Blow by Blow at the Mandaluyong City College Gym.
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The referee stopped the bout at 2 minutes 34 seconds into the fifth round after Pontipac continued to push Ancajas down in the clinch, despite having received point deductions and repeated warnings in previous rounds.
Read: Jerwin Ancajas knocks out Takuma Inoue; Jonas Sultan also loses
Ancajas made his presence felt early on, dropping Pontipac to the mat with a counter right and looking poised for a knockout victory.
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But the veteran Pontipac was a tough opponent, frustrating Ancajas with several illegal takedowns over the scheduled 10-round bout.
The 36-year-old Pontipac, who suffered the 20th defeat of his career, was deducted a point in the third round.
Yet the 32-year-old Ancajas returned to the ring seven months after suffering a shock knockout loss to Takuma Inoue in Tokyo and improved his record to 35-4-2 with 23 knockouts.
Read: Jerwin Ancajas wants rematch with Martinez and vows to do better
A slimmer Ancajas is also making his featherweight debut after struggling to make weight in his last few fights at super flyweight, where he was IBF world champion from 2016-2022.
After losing his title to Argentina’s Fernando Martinez, who had outpointed him twice in 2022, Ancajas moved up to 118 pounds and beat Colombia’s Wilner Sotto eight months later, but was unable to claim the WBA bantamweight belt against Inoue.
Ancajas had lost three of his last four fights prior to the Pontipak bout and is eager to get his name back in world title contention.
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But Ancajas will have to wait for another opportunity to present his case.
