MANILA, Philippines – Jerwin Ancajas’ homecoming ended with a somewhat disappointing victory as he secured a disqualification victory over Thailand’s Sukpraserd Ponpitak in a 10-round featherweight bout scheduled for Sunday at Mandaluyong City College Gym. The fight, part of the “Blow-By-Blow” boxing series, was marred by repeated fouls from the Thai veteran, ultimately leading to an abrupt stoppage in the fifth round.

Ancajas, a former IBF junior bantamweight champion, wasted no time in proving his point. The Filipino left-hander floored Ponpitak early in the first round with a powerful right hook, halting the Thai and setting the pace for the rest of the fight. While Ponpitak was recovering from the knockdown, Ancajas continued to find his rhythm, landing a series of tidy combinations to take control of the fight.

However, what started as a dominant performance by Ancajas soon turned ugly. Ponpitak, at 36 and clearly outclassed, resorted to brutal tactics. In the third round, the Taj was warned for excessive holding and sweeping Ancajas to the canvas, which cost him a point. Despite the warnings, Ponpitak persisted in using illegal moves, repeatedly clinching and forcing Ancajas to the ground.

In the fifth round, after Ponpitak once again backed Ancajas into the corner, the referee decided he had had enough and disqualified the Thai for repeated fouls, awarding the win to Ancajas via disqualification.

It was a bittersweet triumph for Ancajas, who was fighting in front of a home crowd for the first time since losing to Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) for the WBA bantamweight title in February. The disqualification victory improves his record to 35-4-2 (23 KOs), but the nature of the victory left many in the field wishing for a more decisive finish. Ponpitak, whose brutal tactics marred what could have been a more even fight, drops to 30-20 (20 KOs).

Despite the less than ideal finish, Ancajas still showed the sharpness and power that made him a champion. His precise combinations and ring command were on full display, even if the premature end to the fight robbed him of a potential knockout.

With this win, Ancajas can now focus on returning to world title contention. Whether he stays at featherweight or decides to drop down to junior bantamweight, “Pretty Boy” still has plenty of fight left in him. While Ancajas continues to rebuild after his recent setbacks, he remains a hazardous presence in any division he chooses to campaign in.

Talented Cuban junior middleweight Yoenis Téllez will face the hard-hitting Johan González on October 19, while the main event will be headlined by an IBF title fight between Bakhram Murtazaliev and Tim Tszyu.

The event at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida will also feature a fight between middleweight contenders Mateo Tapia and Endry Saavedra.

Ronnie Shields’ protégé Téllez will be fighting at the venue for the fifth time, with the 24-year-old holding an 8-0 (6 KO) record.

Téllez defeated Sergio Garcia last July and has since won two fights at Caribe Royale.

“Fighting an experienced fighter like Johan González is a great opportunity to show the world what I’m made of,” Téllez said. “He fought at an elite level and I expect a tough fight. I’ll leave everything in the ring.”

Gonzalez, a native of Valencia, Venezuela, currently trains in Las Vegas and is 34-3 (33 KOs). He made his U.S. debut last year but lost a decision to former world title challenger Magomed Kurbanov in 2022. Gonzalez surrendered in 2017 and won his first 22 fights before losing a split decision in 2018.

“This fight means everything to me, I have to win it,” González said. “I work tough every day to make sure I leave with my hand raised. Right now, I’m just focused on doing everything I can to keep my career moving forward.”

Tapia is a friend and sparring partner of main event contender Tszyu, while Saavedra has seven stoppages in his last seven wins.

The 26-year-old Tapia (17-0, 10 KOs) was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and has spent most of his career fighting out of Australia, as well as sparring hundreds of rounds with Tszyu. He now trains in St. Petersburg, Florida, and hopes a win over Saavedra will put him one step closer to a title shot.

“This fight is a huge opportunity for me and I’m here to take it with both hands,” Tapia said. “I’m excited to be fighting on Tim Tszyu’s undercard and I’m grateful to my team for making it happen. It’s been a long camp and I’ll definitely be ready when that bell rings on October 19th. I can’t wait to showcase my skills and proudly represent Australia and Mexico on the world stage.”

Saavedra (16-1, 13 KOs), a Venezuelan fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico, enters the fight having knocked out his last three opponents since suffering his only career loss, a decision win over Etoundi Michel William in October 2022.

The 33-year-old turned pro in 2018 and has won his first 13 fights after a lengthy amateur career, most recently traveling to Australia in March where he stopped Isaac Hardman on home turf in the eighth round of a fight he was trailing on two of three cards.

“I can’t wait to take advantage of what’s ahead of me on Oct. 19,” Saavedra said. “I plan on showing the world why I belong at the top of the middleweight division. I’m up against a tough Australian fighter who represents Mexico, so I expect a war, just like I bring it to every fight.”

TGB Promotions President Tom Brown added, “Yoenis Téllez can add his name to the star-studded lineup of top 154-pound contenders when he takes on the formidable Johan González, while Mateo Tapia is poised to make a splash in the middleweight division if he can defeat the on-the-fly Endry Saavedra in his first fight.”

Eddie Hearn wants Anthony Joshua to face Tyson Fury regardless of the outcome of Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21.

(Source: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

Hearn says that if Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) is defeated by WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion Usyk, a fight between him and Joshua would be “huge,” with Fury potentially facing Joshua in a voluntary defense of his three titles if he is victorious.

It is logical that Hearn allowed a fight between Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) and Fury because there is large money on the table from Saudi Arabia.

With all the money Joshua could get for the Fury fight, it would be crazy to ignore it. Joshua is wealthy, with his net worth currently estimated at 200 million poundsbut adding another $100 million would make it worth it. The most Joshua would have to worry about in the Fury fight is getting hit on the canvas.

AJ would have a better chance of beating the 36-year-old Fury than he would in a rematch with IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois. It would be foolish for Joshua to risk fighting Dubois after what happened last Saturday night. Dubois stopped Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium and it was strenuous to watch.

“My advice would be to do nothing until December 21st – Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury rematch,” Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports Boxing of his plans for Anthony Joshua’s next fight. “If Fury loses, it could lead to a large fight with Joshua, if Fury wins, he could do a voluntary defence against Joshua. It’s still the biggest fight in the division, by a mile.”

The Fury-Joshua fight could look uncertain if Usyk knocks Fury out on December 21. It would look bad if Fury and Joshua both lost by knockout when they meet in 2025. The British boxing public will not tolerate a fight between two heroes if both lose by knockout.

Fury, 6’8″, has the size to take Usyk the full 12-round distance in a losing effort, especially if the referee can assist him by giving him breaks when he’s injured. Fury was recently saved in the ninth round by the referee, who gave him an eight-pointer when he was on his feet after taking 20 consecutive unanswered punches to the head from Usyk.