ALA chief open to all-Pinoy fight
A world championship fight between two Filipino boxers is inevitable.
After keeping his IBF super flyweight crown with a splendid 10th round knockout of Mexico’s Israel Gonzalez in his US debut last Sunday at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, Jerwin Ancajas (29-1-1, 20KOs) will most likely face fellow countryman Jonas ‘Zorro’ Sultan (14-3, 9KOs), the IBF No.1 contender, in his next defense.
Sultan, who is handled by Cebu’s fabled ALA Promotions, earned a mandatory shot at Ancajas after stunning former twodivision world champion Johnriel Casimero in an IBF eliminator in September last year at the Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
Now, Ancajas and Sultan are on collision course.
Though it goes against his personal standpoint, ALA Promotions President Michael P. Aldeguer looks forward to the historic bout because that is the direction they are headed to.
“My personal stand is, I’m not really for it since we are all Filipinos as the last time it happened was in 1925 about 92 years ago. We are used to supporting Filipino fighters regardless of where they are from. Like last Sunday, we are all so proud of the performance of Ancajas who did great and in three weeks, it’s Donnie Nietes turn to fight on HBO live telecast,” said Aldeguer.
“But much as we don’t to do a Filipino vs Filipino world title fight, the mandatory will make it happen,” he added.
Aldeguer pointed out though that if you look at the bigger picture, the fight could also put a stamp that the Philippines is a boxing powerhouse with all the Filipino fighters on the world stage just like the Mexicans who fight each other all the time.
“We are open to it if it has to happen,” said Aldeguer, who will soon sit on the negotiating table with the handlers of Ancajas led by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and MP Promotions matchmaker Sean Gibbons relative to the all-Pinoy rumble that first happened nearly a century ago.
Not since Hall of Famer Pancho Villa defeated Clever Sencio at the Wallace Field in Manila on May 2, 1925 to retain his world flyweight title that two Filipinos slugged it out for a world boxing title.
Once the deal will be made, Dong Secuya of philboxing.com foresees that the Ancajas-Sultan duel will likely be on the undercard of the Horn vs Crawford WBO welterweight title match on April 21 at the Madison Square Garden in New York where the legendary Manny Pacquiao is expected to make his ring comeback.