SULTAN
The much anticipated International Boxing Federation (IBF) world super flyweight showdown between defending champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas and number one contender Jonas “Zorro” Sultan is set on April 14 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Boxing Godfather Bob Arum of Top Rank and Ancajas’ co-promoter Sean Gibbons formally announced yesterday the all-Filipino world title showdown that will be part of the undercard of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight duel between defending champion Jeff Horn and Terrence Crawford.
Sultan’s camp, the ALA Promotions International headed by his promoter CEO Michael Aldeguer, and Ancajas’ camp, headed by his trainer and promoter Joven Jimenez and Gibbons, reached a deal earlier this week.
It is been 93 years since Filipinos saw compatriots battle for a world title. The first one was between the world flyweight title showdown between champion Pancho Villa and Clever Sencio, where the former won by a 15-round unanimous decision held in Wallace Field in Manila.
A match featuring two Filipino boxers is a big deal for many Filipino boxing fans and experts since some find consider it unhealthy for the country’s boxing scene, especially since there are only two existing Filipino boxing world champions left in Ancajas and Sultan’s stablemate in the ALA Boxing Gym, the reigning three-division world champion and IBF world flyweight king Donnie Nietes.
But the all-Filipino matchup became inevitable when Sultan beat former world champion Johnriel Casimero last September in Cebu City and Ancajas defended his title three successive times against voluntary challengers abroad.
The fight is expected to be a tight one as both boxers are 26 years old and from Mindanao. Sultan is a native of Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte while Ancajas is from Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
Sultan holds a record of 14 wins (nine knockouts), three defeats and no draws while Ancajas has 29 wins (20 KOs), one defeat, and one draw.