JERWIN “Pretty Boy” Ancajas held the IBF junior bantamweight title for almost six years. He was virtually embedded to the 115-pound throne until he was violently yanked off it last February 26 by an upstart challenger from Argentina named Fernando Daniel “Pumita” Martinez.

Martinez was a relative newcomer in the pro ranks and was only ranked No. 11 by the IBF going into the fight. He was supposed to be a mere tune-up foe for Ancajas who was then eyeing a unification showdown with WBO junior bantamweight champ Kazuto Ioka of Japan.

In a stunning reversal, Martinez hammered Ancajas in 12 rounds and posted a lopsided decision victory.

The manner by which Martinez pulled off the big win stunned boxing fans. Punch statistics revealed that Martinez threw a whopping 1,046 punches and landed 427. In stark contrast, Ancajas only landed 192 out of 816 punches.

Martinez outlanded Ancajas in terms of power punches in every round. Before the 10th round, referee Jack Reiss approached Ancajas’ corner and expressed concern at the alarming number of punches the Filipino took in the first nine rounds.

The loss to Martinez snapped Ancajas’ 21-bout unbeaten streak and ended his title reign that started in September 2016 when he defeated McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico.

Surprisingly, despite the punishment he took in the first fight, Ancajas did not think twice in exercising a rematch clause.

As a result, this Sunday (Manila time) in Carson, California, Ancajas will face Martinez again in a bid to regain the IBF junior bantamweight diadem.

The tables have been turned though and Martinez is now the smart money bet to retain the IBF crown.

The seventh in twelve children, Martinez started boxing at age 6 and kicked off his amateur career at age 11. Martinez was convinced to take up boxing by his father Abel Martinez. Father and son admired former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson and this explains Fernando’s “bombsaway” style of fighting.

Unfortunately, a few months before Martinez represented Argentina in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, his father passed away.

A young Martinez dealt with depression and alcohol abuse following his father’s untimely demise. Fortunately, the downward spiral was arrested and Martinez resumed his passion for the sport. He turned pro in August 2017 with a fourround stoppage of Juan Ignacio Haran.

Martinez won his first 13 fights but these came against pedestrian opponents. Ancajas was Martinez’s first genuine test and you can say he passed with flying colors.

Martinez, 31, displayed a high-octane offense in the first fight. He basically outworked and outslugged Ancajas for almost the entire duration of the fight. The ease by which Martinez (14-0, 8 knockouts) handled Ancajas in their first meeting is the primary reason why he is the favorite in the upcoming rematch.

Ancajas, 30, will have to dig deeper in his arsenal for the rematch. Oh, he also has to be in the best of shape.

Even before the loss to Martinez, Ancajas was already dealing with conditioning issues.

In September 2018, Ancajas went 12 hard rounds and settled for a draw against Mexican Alexandro Santiago. Ancajas’ timing was off and he revealed that his legs started to cramp as early as the sixth round. Joven Jimenez, Ancajas’ manager and trainer, hinted at Ancajas moving up in weight to address the struggle to stay at 115 pounds.

Ancajas still did not move up in weight. In April 2021, Ancajas defeated Mexican Jonathan Rodriguez on points. He started strong but wilted down the stretch, allowing Rodriguez to make a furious rally.

In the fight against Martinez, the same conditioning issues surfaced. Ancajas looked so spent down the stretch he offered no head movement and literally swallowed Martinez’s punches.

After the Martinez fight, moving up in weight seemed to be the only option left for Ancajas.

Then again, with the junior bantamweight class filled with big-money names like WBC champ Jesse Rodriguez (16-0, 11 knockouts), former champions Roman Gonzalez (51-3, 41 knockouts) and Juan Francisco Estrada (43-3, 28 knockouts), Ancajas decided to stay put at 115 pounds.

Ancajas (33-2, 2 draws with 22 knockouts) is undeniably taking a huge risk. For his own sake, boxing fans only hope that Ancajas has addressed the conditioning issues. Martinez is expected to go full-throttle on offense again. Ancajas will have to pop the jab more and offer lateral/head movements if he is to keep the free-swinging Martinez at a safe distance. It will not be a walk in the park as Ancajas bids to prove that the loss to Martinez was just an aberration.