Fernando Daniel Martinez vs Jerwin Ancajas 2

Every one of the last six rounds was awarded to the same man by all three judges, a complete closing sweep which removed any prospect of argument from a hard and busy championship contest. Fernando Daniel Martinez retained the IBF super-flyweight title by unanimous decision over Jerwin Ancajas at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, on October 8, 2022. Ellis Johnson scored it 119–109, while Tiffany Clinton and Zachary Young each returned 118–110. Referee Eddie Hernandez Sr. supervised the 12 rounds.

This was an immediate return of their Las Vegas meeting seven months earlier, when the little-known Argentine had ended Ancajas’s long reign. The Filipino southpaw had held the IBF championship since September 2016 and made nine successful defences, but Martinez overwhelmed him with volume, landing 427 punches from 1,046 thrown on the way to a clear decision. Ancajas exercised his contractual right to a rematch, hoping greater movement and a more considered use of his jab would prevent the champion from turning the second fight into another prolonged exchange at close range. Martinez, unbeaten in 14 contests, was making his first defence.

Ancajas began with greater purpose and discipline than he had shown in the first meeting. He worked from his southpaw stance, attempted to keep the contest near the centre of the ring and looked for the straight left as Martinez advanced. The champion remained compact, carrying both hands high as he moved forward in short steps. Rather than rushing, he prodded at the body and sought to bring Ancajas’s guard down before releasing hooks to the head. The early rounds were competitive, with Ancajas finding space for cleaner straight punches while Martinez supplied the steadier pressure.

The challenger enjoyed his most encouraging passage in the fourth and fifth rounds. Ancajas stood his ground more often, met Martinez with combinations and tried to discourage him with left hands through the middle. He was boxing with greater economy than in February and, for a time, appeared capable of making the rematch a different affair. Martinez nevertheless continued to attack the body, an adjustment of some importance. He had concentrated heavily upon Ancajas’s head in their first fight; this time his hooks below the elbows gradually reduced the Filipino’s movement.

The contest changed plainly in the sixth. Martinez increased his pace and drove Ancajas backwards with combinations from both hands. His left hook repeatedly found the head, while the body punches left the challenger with fewer opportunities to step away after exchanging. Ancajas remained willing and returned fire, but the champion was now reaching him first and finishing the exchanges last. By the end of the round, Ancajas’s face was showing the effects of the work and his legs were no longer carrying him clear with the same readiness.

An accidental collision of heads opened a cut over Ancajas’s left eyebrow in the seventh and briefly interrupted the action. The challenger was examined and permitted to continue. Any hope that the pause might slow Martinez was soon removed. He resumed his forward movement, took Ancajas towards the ropes and continued to divide his attack between head and body. Ancajas answered with the straight left and occasional hooks, but his punches were now being delivered from a stationary position. Martinez could set his feet, punch in combinations and remain close enough to begin again before Ancajas had reorganised.

The champion widened his command through the eighth and ninth. Ancajas still produced enough clean counters to ensure that Martinez could not become careless, but he was increasingly fighting to obtain relief rather than to impose his own terms. A powerful right hand in the ninth drove him into the ropes, where Martinez followed with hooks and short punches. There was no knockdown, yet it was among the clearest attacks of the fight. Martinez’s blue-dyed hair made him easy to locate beneath the lights; his pressure made him considerably harder to avoid.

Ancajas showed considerable resolve over the final three rounds. He did not fold under the accumulation of punches and continued trying to intercept Martinez as the champion came forward. In the eleventh, Martinez went to the floor during a physical exchange, but Hernandez correctly ruled that he had been pushed and did not administer a count. Martinez then backed towards the ropes and invited Ancajas to exchange. The challenger accepted, but the champion again emerged with the better of the punching, landing the shorter and more forceful blows.

There was no easing of the pace in the twelfth. Ancajas needed a knockout and attempted to stand with Martinez, but the Argentine continued to outwork him. Both men remained active until the bell, completing a contest in which they combined to throw more than 1,400 punches. The power-punch figures showed Martinez landing 222 of 584, compared with Ancajas’s 168 of 544. There were no official knockdowns and no point deductions.

The verdict confirmed what the second half of the bout had made evident. Johnson gave Ancajas only one round, while Clinton and Young allowed him two apiece. Martinez improved his record to 15 victories without defeat and established that his first success had not been an accident produced by an off night from the former champion. Ancajas fell to 33–3–2. His early alterations had made the opening half more competitive, but he could not sustain the movement required to contain a younger, stronger opponent who attacked the body, maintained his balance at close quarters and continued working until the final bell.

I thought the rematch settled the argument properly. Fernando Martinez had taken the title from Jerwin Ancajas seven months earlier by overwhelming him with punch volume, but there were excuses afterwards about cramping and the difficulty of making super-flyweight. This time Ancajas had a full camp to correct matters and still could not contain him.

Ancajas deserved respect. He had held the IBF belt for nearly six years, made nine successful defences and built a strong following in the Philippines. He began the return more sensibly, using his southpaw jab, moving his feet and meeting Martinez with straight left hands. For four or five rounds, the adjustments made the contest competitive.

The difference was Martinez’s body punching. He hardly bothered with it in their first fight, but here he attacked beneath the elbows from the start. Once Ancajas’s legs slowed, the ring became much smaller. Martinez could plant his feet, work in combinations and remain close enough to start again. His balance was excellent; he never fell over his front knee or smothered his own work.

The accidental head clash and cut over Ancajas’s left eye did him no favours, but it did not decide the fight. Martinez swept the second half because he was stronger, busier and technically better at close range. Ancajas showed courage and kept answering, yet he was being controlled. The wide cards were right. This was not simply another high-output performance, it was a more intelligent one.