Ancajas vs Sultan breaks tradition

NEWS that Jerwin Ancajas will have to fight compatriot Jonas Sultan in a world title bout that the International Boxing Federation ( IBF) is mandating is definitely not good news to Filipino fight fans, because Filipinos squaring off at the championship or elite level is taboo or not a tradition.

I even heard sportscaster Chino Trinidad saying over a radio program that the last time two Filipinos fought in a championship bout was in 1925. That did not surprise me because I have not come across of any account from the postwar boxing era of two Filipinos fighting for a world title.

This speaks a lot about the culture among Filipino fighters, and boxing promoters and managers, who may believe that allowing another Filipino to end the reign of another Filipino at the world championship level is never a welcome development.

Compare that to Mexican fighters who show a lot of eagerness to fight their compatriots in the ring at the world championship level.

But since the IBF has made it mandatory for Ancajas, who holds the organization’s world super flyweight ( 115 pounds), to fight top contender Ancajas ( 29- 1- 1 with 20 knockouts), Filipino fight fans might as well prepare to witness history in the making. Sultan ( 14- 3 with 9 KOs) is the IBF inter- continental titleholder same weight division.

Anyway, Ancajas was bound to face another Filipino in Johnriel Casimero if the latter did not lose to Sultan in what looked liked an eliminator to determine who Ancajas would face next.

Casimero ( 24- 4 with 15 KOs), the IBF world flyweight ( 112 pounds) champion and former light flyweight ( 108 pounds) for the same boxing organization, lost via decision to Sultan in September last year.

If there is any consolation, at least we won’t be witnessing a bout between two Filipinos who are world titleholders ( Ancajas being the IBF world champion at super flyweight and Casimero the flyweight titleholder).

If the fight between Ancajas and Sultan pushes through, and it looks like it will, that can result in more Filipinos fighting each other in world title bouts. Will that be good for local boxing fans? I still do not know the answer.

Looking at the credentials of both fighters, Ancajas and Sultan are truly the top Filipino boxers at super flyweight, in the because both are ranked by

magazine in its top 10 for the division.

magazine does not have a champion for junior flyweight, and it ranked Ancajas at No. 6 and Sultan at No. 9. Ancajas has been in the magazine’s top 10 for super flyweight for 75 weeks and Sultan, 21 weeks, both of which are no small feats.

So who wins in this historical fight?

Ancajas over the weekend made his successful US debut by stopping Mexican Israel Gonzales ( 21- 2 with 8 KOs), stamping his class in the division.

For this part, Sultan defeated two- time champion in Casimero showing he is no pushover and definitely deserves a shot at Ancajas’ world title.

Both fighters are somewhat methodical, or make good use of both hands, and Sultan has a good right cross while Ancajas has a deadly left cross.

Ancajas, however, is a southpaw and since left- handed fighters are not so common, they somehow present some kind of puzzle to orthodox fighters. Remember that Manny Pacquiao’s being a southpaw was a major factor in his becoming among the greatest fighters of all time, and greatest so far among Filipino pugs.

So let’s just wait for the official date of Ancajas vs Sultan, and witness history unfolding.