SPORTS SHORTS 270: JONAS SULTAN WANTS NAOYA INOUE THAN NONITO DONAIRE AND JOHN RIEL CASIMERO
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 03 Dec 2021
Jonas Sultan dreams of getting a chance to fight Japanese "Monster" Naoya Inoue, the unified WBA, IBF, and Ring magazine bantamweight champion. He is also the former WBO junior bantamweight titlist and the former WBC light flyweight title holder.
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Sultan placed Inoue at the top of his prospective opponents' list followed by other foreign fighters with the other Filipino champions below the tally. Of course Sultan favored Inoue because he is considered as the world's best bantamweight champion and one of the world's top pound-for-pound fighters.
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Sultan understands fully well that he would be the big underdog if ever he faces Inoue but is not afraid of the huge challenge. During the victory party for his great upset win over the then undefeated Carlos Caraballo of Puerto Rico, Sultan declared "Think positive. No surrender. Face your fears."
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"My dream really is to fight Inoue, even if I was tagged as the underdog. Because if you are the underdog then they are pressured. For me, I don't feel the pressure," Sultan said as told to ABS-CBN News.
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When he grabbed the WBO intercontinental bantamweight title on October 30 at the Madison Square Garden in New York he caught the attention of the entire boxing world.
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Sultan dealt Caraballo his first loss in a thriller of a fight. Sultan unleashed thundering flurry of punches knocking down Caraballo four times en route to a decision win.
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"They said that I won't win, because he was really so good. I told myself I can do it, there's a way to win," he said.
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If ever he will be given the chance to face the deadly Japanese star Inoue, Sultan vowed he would be fully prepared and would study the champion's frailty.
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"All boxers can be hit and get hurt," Sultan said as quoted by Rappler. "Everyone has a weakness and there's always a way to win. You just need to prepare real hard."
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"Before I'm a head hunter, now I'm learning to be a body puncher. I need to strengthen my body. I will keep my awkward, rugged style, but will add new techniques, especially those I learned from Jerwin (Ancajas) and coach Joven (Jimenez)."
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According to GMA News, Sultan will fly to the USA on December 11 and will act as Jerwin Ancajas’ sparring partner for the super flyweight unification against four-division world champion Kazuto Ioka on December 31 in Tokyo, Japan.
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Having seen Ioka’s fights in the past, Sultan is confident that the Filipino champ will emerge victorious even in an unfriendly territory
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MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons is working on Sultan's next ring assignment which would either be an eliminator or a world title fight, and it will depend on the results of the three major bantamweight title bouts next month.
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Nonito Donaire Jr. will defend the WBC crown against fellow Filipino WBC interim bantamweight titlist Reymart Gaballo which is scheduled to take place on December 11 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
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Johnriel Casimero will stake the WBO belt against British Paul Butler in the inaugural event of Probellum promotions outfit also on December 11 at Coca-Cola Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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Inoue will defend his IBF and WBA titles against Thai Aran Dipaen on December 14 in Tokyo, Japan. He is believed to be preparing for a title fight in the United States next year, according to DAZN News.
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Sultan said he will only fight a countrymen as a last priority. According to his manager Rolando "Junie" Navarro, he's planning to have Sultan engage in three or four fights next year but is giving the matchmaking task to Gibbons.
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If he gets the opportunity to meet Inoue in the ring, Sultan said he and his team will surely devise a strategy to surprise the hard-hitting Japanese.
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"You need to hurt your opponent. And we should not fear. That is the dream of every fighter ’to become a world champion," he said.
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Navarro said this was precisely the reason they signed up Sultan. "I remember when he defeated Casimero . . . So I said why not give him a chance? He is fearless, and fights anyone."
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Sultan has emerged into a more dangerous fighter with the proper training in America. In his US debut, Sultan annihilated Sharone Carter in the seventh round. This was succeeded by the upset victory against Caraballo that made him the WBO intercontinental champion.
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"We started like 2 years ago. We have a good camaraderie that's why we are now 2-0," said Navarro as told to ABS-CBN News. "In the past several coaches asked that time why I signed up Jonas? Now they are saying it's right decision to get Jonas."
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Jonas Sultan will return to America to help IBF world super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas prepare for his unification with WBO world super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka on December 31 Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
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Sultan says he is returning the favor to Ancajas. “I will help him train and assist coach [Joven Jimenez] for the fight. I will go there to support Jerwin. He was a huge help when I won against Caraballo now it is my turn to return the help he gave me,” Sultan said.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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