THE historic all-Filipino world championship fight between International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas and Jonas Sultan will hog the spotlight as it will be the headliner of a Top Rank show on May 27 (PHL time) in Las Vegas.
?It?s great for Philippine boxing and for our country as a whole,? ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told SunStar Cebu.
It was originally scheduled as the main supporting bout of the world championship fight between Jeff Horn and Terence Crawford on April 14. The event, however, got scrapped because of a hand injury Crawford suffered in training.
That postponement has become a blessing in disguise.
?This is huge,? said Aldeguer of the Ancajas vs. Sultan fight becoming the main event. ?Maybe the biggest fight for Filipinos not involving (Manny) Pacquiao.?
Although this fight is a couple of firsts for Sultan ? fighting in the main event and making his US debut ? the 26-year-old soft-spoken super flyweight treats this fight just like any other.
?This is my first time,? he said. ?I?m very excited that it?s finally on. I don?t feel any pressure at all. I have met him personally. I?ll try my best in the ring.?
Sultan has already shared the ring with another world-class Filipino fighter, in what was the most high-profile all-Pinoy fight last year. He fought two-division world champion Johnriel Casimero in a world title eliminator and beat him by unanimous decision. A fight before that, he also fought a former world champion, Sonny Boy Jaro, and knocked him out in the eighth round.
?On top of the ring, we are not friends,? said Sultan, who recently met Ancajas in the annual Elorde Awards in Manila. ?I also want to win so I?ll do everything to win this.?
The 26-year-old Ancajas had a quick ascent to stardom in the super flyweight division. He won the IBF title with a unanimous decision of McJoe Arroyo in 2016. He followed it up with four impressive title defenses ? a seventh round stoppage of Jose Alfredo Rodriguez, a seventh round technical knockout of Teiru Kinoshita, a sixth round demolition of Jaime Conlan and recently a 10th round destruction of Israel Gonzalez. (EKA)
