SPORTS SHORTS 252: JONAS SULTAN DEFEATS CARLOS CARABALLO - THE "KING" CONQUERS THE "KNIGHT"
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 01 Nov 2021
Jonas Sultan scores four knockdowns as he upsets Carlos Caraballo for the WBO intercontinental bantamweight championship at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on October 30, 2021 in New York City. Sultan means "king" and Caraballo means "knight". That means the "King" conquers the "Knight".
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The 29-year-old Sultan's conquest of the 25-year-old Caraballo was highlighted by the Puerto Rican's trip to the canvas in the second, third, sixth, and ninth rounds of the 10-rounder WBO intercontinental bantamweight title bout.
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But the four knockdowns seemed to have little effect on the judges’ scorecards which all showed identical 94-93. Sultan appreciated Caraballo's punching power, having won all his previous 14 fights by knockout.
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“Even if I floored him many times, he is a Top Rank fighter, and the decision might be given to him,” said Sultan as told to Spin.ph. “So I was not overconfident.”
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"He was good, but I felt I'm stronger," said Sultan as quoted by Rappler, believing he could have knocked Caraballo out in the last two rounds but his feet cramped because of the tapes he wrapped on his ankles for the first time in his fights supposedly to prevent injury.
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“I wrapped my two feet. I saw it in the (basketball) players,” said the Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte native just after the fight. "That's what I suffered. We were still in the fifth round and my feet were cramped.”
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“When I tried to move back, I felt the pain. My feet were just too heavy,” he said. “I can't shift in-and-out easily because my feet were suffering."
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"This is boxing. This is war. And I came to win tonight. Caraballo is a tough man, but I wanted this one," added Sultan. The Puerto Rican retaliated to turn the tables in the fourth round by thumping Sultan with a flurry of punches that caused the Filipino to move back.
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Going into the sixth round, two of the judges saw the fight even at 47-47, while the third one scored Caraballo ahead, 48-46. The third knockdown in the sixth stanza surged Sultan ahead, but the judges scored the next two rounds for Caraballo.
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Sultan's potent left hook and powerful right hand combination floored Caraballo for the fourth time in the ninth round. Caraballo carefully rose up to continue fighting. The two judges now had the Sultan ahead by two rounds, although the third judge scored the fight even at 84.
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Sultan continued to throw left hands and right barrages in the tenth round. Caraballo went on to win the final round in two of the scorecards and the other one for Sultan, resulting in the close scorecards at the end of the fight.
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Most boxing analysts and scribes questioned the close scoring with Sultan flooring Caraballo four times. Sultan was almost robbed of victory.
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Sultan, now 18-5 with 11 KOs, made himself a major contender in the bantamweight division in any of the four major boxing bodies. Nonito Donaire Jr reigns as champion in the WBC and Johnriel Casimero in the WBO. Caraballo drops to 14-1 with 14 KOs. He had never gone beyond six rounds before this fight.
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The victory is Sultan’s second secondary title win after he captured the IBF intercontinental super flyweight championship on May 7, 2017 defeating former WBC flyweight champion Sonny Boy Jaro in Angono, Rizal.
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He won over reigning WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero on September 16, 2017 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Cebu City. He lost to Ancajas for the IBF super flyweight title on May 26, 2018 at the Savemart Center, Fresno, California.
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Curiously, Sultan now trained with Ancajas and coach Joven Jimenez leading to the Caraballo bout. Ancajas is set to face World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka in Japan possibly for December with their title unification bout is now being worked out.
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The scoring margin would have been bigger if the referee did not declare a knockdown when Sultan slipped and touched his gloves to the canvas late in the fourth round.
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“I did not fall down. The referee just counted me,” said Sultan of referee Johnny Callas doing a mandatory eight count on him.
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Trainer Joven Jimenez was satisfied with the overall performance put up by Sultan, now with a newly coined alias “One Punch Man,” but said there's room for improvements.
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"After a brief rest we're going to continue training, build up his stamina, and work on his jabs and footwork," said Jimenez.
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"I'm proud of Jonas. He showed his valiant heart in fighting for Zamboanguenos and the Filipino people at the Mecca of boxing," said assistant manager Navarro.
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He acknowledged the support Sultan received from MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions president Sean Gibbon, Deputy House Speaker Mikee Romero of NorthPort, and philanthropist Cory Navarro.
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"We'll let Jonas rest, enjoy his victory, and arrange for his flight back home and reunite with his family," said Navarro as told to Rappler.
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Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points off the bench and Russell Westbrook added 20 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
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Anthony Davis had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and LeBron James contributed 15 points in the Lakers' fourth win in five games after starting the NBA season with two losses. Westbrook also added eight rebounds and nine assists.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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