Sultan unfazed by Puerto Rican knockout artist
JONAS SULTAN climbs the ring on October 30 in New York against Puerto Rico’s Carlos Caraballo who knocked out all his 14 opponents since turning pro five years ago.
But Sultan is unfazed by the 25-year-old Caraballo, who has started to earn a reputation as a knockout artist.
“Knockout artist? All his opponents are weak, but let’s see,” the 29-year-old Sultan (17-5 winloss record with 11 knockouts) told Businessmirror through phone call from his base in Sacramento, California, on Monday.
Sultan will go deep into training the moment his head trainer and coach Joven Jimenez and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas arrive in the US from the Philippines.
They would most likely hold camp in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Once coach Joven arrives, we will start our training and then maybe I’ll also start my conditioning training with Sir Memo [Heredia]. I miss Coach Joven and Jerwin,” said Sultan, who lives in Cebu, said. “Right now I do light training, jogging in the morning and also relaxing.”
Sultan, who is supported by Junnie Navarro and Mike Venezuela of Zamboanga Valientes MLV, wants to win a world title but he has to beat two fellow Filipinos to become one—world Boxing Organization champion Johnriel Casimero and World Boxing Council titlist Nonito Donaire Jr.
“Maybe after this fight, I can get a world title opportunity. If [Naoya] Inoue doesn’t want to fight Casimero, I’m available,” Sultan said.
Japanese Inoue (21-0 with 18 knockouts) wears both the IBF and World Boxing Association belts.
Sultan is coming off a spectacular seventh-round technical knockout win over American Sharone Carter last August 14 in Carson City—one of the undercards of the Casimeroguillermo Rigondeaux bout.
That was also Sultan’s first fight after a two-year layoff.