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Lakers fanboy Jerwin Ancajas visits Staples Center

Sports | Boxing

Lakers fanboy Jerwin Ancajas visits Staples Center

By Jonas Terrado

Screenshot from Joven Jimenez Facebook post.

IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas headed straight to the Staples Center shortly after arriving in the United States to begin preparing for possible fights in the immediate future.

But Ancajas had to settle for taking pictures outside of the Los Angeles Lakers homecourt with his favorite team playing the Miami Heat in the opener of the NBA Finals several miles away inside the bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Ancajas is known as a big fan of LeBron James and started rooting for the Lakers after the NBA star left his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for Tinseltown two years ago.

His trainer Joven Jimenez, still heartbroken over James’ decision to leave the Cavs, is rooting for the Heat to score an upset over the favored Lakers.

Jimenez, however, got a rude US welcome after the Lakers rolled to a 116-98 win over the Heat in Game 1.

Ancajas, Jimenez and MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons spent time strolling at the statue area of the Staples Center which features life-sized figures of Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.

It was not the first time Ancajas went to Staples, having watched a game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz last year.

Jerwin Ancajas connects a left against Alejandro Santiago. (Photo from Top Rank)

Ancajas finally arrived in the US after struggling for months securing a visa due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gibbons is hoping that having Ancajas in the US could open things up for a potential fight before the year ends.

WBA regular champion Joshua Franco and IBF mandatory challenger Jonathan Jimenez are among the opponents being groomed for Ancajas, who last fought in Dec. 2019 with a sixth round stoppage of Puerto Rican Miguel Gonzalez in Mexico

Related Tags

NBA Finals Sean Gibbons Jerwin Ancajas Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James Miami Heat Joven Jimenez

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