The bout between International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Jerwin Ancajas and compatriot Jonas Sultan over the weekend was the very first in more than nine decades that two Filipinos squared off at the championship level.
And that can be both good and bad.
Before Ancajas (29-1-1 with 20 KOs) and Sultan (14-3 with 9 KOs) fought, I stated in my past columns that Filipinos clobbering each other for a world title was taboo, which is a stark contrast among Mexicans pugs who have been bludgeoning each other for world titles in the past decades.
So what good is there from Ancajas and Sultan breaking a long-time tradition of Filipino pugs not fighting each other at the championship level? Simple?that shows Filipino pugs have gotten the attention of the world sanctioning bodies and promoters that they find it necessary for our compatriots to fight each other. And the fight we witnessed over the weekend was mandated by the IBF, or Ancajas better fight Sultan or he will be stripped of the title. That also meant Sultan earned his spurs as a top contender and deserved a shot at Ancajas? IBF title.
It so happened that Ancajas and Sultan are both listed by The Ring magazine in its junior bantamweight rankings, or at No. 4 and No. 9, respectively.
So far, there are only five Filipinos ranked by The Ring, including Manny Pacquiao.
The other two are junior flyweights Milan Melindo (37-3 with 13 KOs) and Roy Loreto (24-14 with 16 KOs) at No. 3 and No. 10, respectively. Both are still contenders waiting to be given title shots in the division.
So looking at the latest rankings of The Ring, there are not too many Filipino boxers in the magazine?s listings for every division and its pound-for-pound rankings. So does that mean Filipinos squaring off for world titles will still be a rarity? My answer is simple?yes.
And that is where the negative side of Filipino boxers fighting each other for titles comes into mind?the country still does not have a large number of world-class fighters that it would be tragic for top Filipino fighters to go at each other?s throats at the championship level. Anyway, have we heard of top Puerto Rican, Nicaraguan, and even Argentine fighters clobbering each other in the ring for a championship?
Even reputable welterweights Marcos Maidana and Lucas Matthysse, both from Argentina, managed to avoid each other during their primes.
What Puerto Ricans, Nicaraguan, Argentine, and even Filipino boxing fans want to see are their championship- and elite-level fighters squaring off against their counterparts from other countries, something like Philippines vs Mexico, Puerto Rico vs Mexico, or Nicaragua vs Puerto Rico, or Argentina vs Mexico, or whatever combination we can think of.
If Mexican fight fans love watching their compatriots clobber each other in the ring for world titles, then let them have their way because boxing is a not just a cottage industry in their country.
Good thing Ancajas nor Sultan were not stopped in their fight during the weekend because that would make it harder for either to re-establish their standings as one of the top dogs in their division.
So forget about Filipinos squaring off anew for a world title fight, because I do not want to see a compatriot losing his good standing in the world rankings just because another Filipino busted him up.
Ancajas-Sultan was an IBF-sanctioned fight and let?s pray there won?t be another like it. And I believe Filipino boxing promoters are sane enough not to pit two of their compatriots in a world title fight anew.
