Jerwin Ancajas mimics Oscar De La Hoya’s pose at Staples Center on Monday. (Nick Giongco)
By Nick Giongco
LOS ANGELES—Filipino world boxing champion Jerwin Ancajas paid homage to a bevy of Southern California icons on Monday in a patch of land where legends are being made.
After attending a luncheon Q&A with the boxing media from Southern California, Ancajas stepped out of the Wolfgang Puck at LA Live to drop by the Star Plaza just outside Staples Center.
Ancajas, who faces Jonathan Rodriguez of Mexico this Saturday in the neighboring city of Carson, posed right in front of Oscar De La Hoya’s statue that was unveiled in 2008.
The other sculptures Ancajas marveled at included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and fellow Los Angeles Laker teammate Magic Johnson. Hockey great Wayne Gretzsky, broadcaster Chick Hearn, former Laker hotshots Elgin Baylor and Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal also have their statues there.
“These are my favorite sports, basketball and boxing,” said Ancajas, who was joined by his entourage shortly before they headed back to their base in Redondo Beach for an afternoon workout.
Jerwin Ancajas stands behind Magic Johnson’s statue at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Nick Giongco)
Staples Center currently houses the Lakers and the resurgent LA Clippers and it was in the 21,000-seater venue where Manny Pacquiao fought in September 2005, mauling Mexican Hector Velasquez.
Ancajas likewise dreams of showcasing his wares at the popular arena but to do so, he has to keep his winning streak ablaze.
A proposed unification war with Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada is being looked at in 2020 but the 27-year-old southpaw has to get past the heavy-handed Rodriguez, who has vowed to rain on his parade.
Meanwhile, Ancajas will bring his act to a second-tier site 15 miles from the hallowed grounds of Staples Center, confident in the belief that his time will come.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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