SUPER-FLIES IN FRESNO
Kal Yafai prepares to defend his world title in one of boxing’s best divisions
KHALID YAFAI makes the third defence of his WBA world super-flyweight title this Saturday (May 26) in Fresno, California, and, on paper at least, it’s his softest one to date.
His opponent, Mexico’s David Carmona, has lost three of his last four fights and only last year was knocked out in two rounds by the unheralded Daniel Lozano (someone Carmona had previously defeated), himself on a run of three straight losses. For Yafai, 23-0 (14), let’s call this an American showcase, then, rather than a competitive or risky title defence.
The 28-year-old from Birmingham, a 2008 Olympian, won his current title back in December 2016 when he widely outpointed Luis Concepcion over 12 rounds in Manchester. He was then similarly dominant against Suguru Muranaka and Sho Ishida, unbeaten at the time, the following year.
To say it has been plain sailing for Yafai so far would be an understatement. His ability to dictate the pace of a fight, and maintain that pace, as well as the ease with which he switches shots from head to body, has simply been too much for his opponents.
And, chances are, it will be too much for Carmona, 21-5-5 (9), this weekend. The Mexican’s recent run of defeats includes setbacks against Carlos Cuadras and Naoya Inoue – no shame in that – but more worrying is the fact he lacks a single win that would suggest he’ll be able to trouble Yafai. His wins, the majority in Mexico, typically required him going the distance – 10 rounds for the most part – and a 2015 draw against Warlito Parrenas in an interim WBO super-flyweight title fight arguably represents his best result.
As for his durability, Carmona, being Mexican, should be able to look after himself and, at 27 years of age, is still fresh and presumably ambitious enough to give it a go. He was also the first man to take hard-hitting Inoue the full 12 rounds.
But two stoppage defeats, the first against Omar Narvaez and the second against Lozano last year, suggest he can be broken down and taken out, and this will be music to the ears of Yafai, a spiteful puncher with 14 knockouts from 23 wins. He’ll no doubt look to do something similar – go one better than Inoue and Cuadras – but in the end might have to settle for a comprehensive points win to successfully retain his title.
Headlining the show at Fresno’s Selland Arena is an IBF world super-flyweight title fight between tenacious Filipinos Jerwin Ancajas and Jonas Sultan. Ancajas, 29-1-1 (20), won the IBF title back in 2016 with a decision win over then-unbeaten Mcjoe Arroyo, but really rose to prominence, at least in British eyes, when he ventured to Belfast and stopped Jamie Conlan, also unbeaten, inside six rounds. Ferocious and hard-hitting, Ancajas was a revelation that night and was immediately earmarked as someone worth keeping an eye on, someone who could go on to bigger and better things.
Sultan, meanwhile, still waits for his breakout moment. He did, however, score an upset decision over John Riel Casimero, the former IBF flyweight champion, last September. A great result on paper, Sultan’s conquering of Casimero is all the more impressive given what ‘Quadro Alas’ did to Britain’s Charlie Edwards in 2016.
Whether Sultan, 14-3 (9), can spring another surprise on a countryman this weekend remains to be seen. But he’s on a fine run of form, with four of his last five victories coming via stoppage, and will no doubt be buoyed by a win over a former world champion. Even so, it’s Ancajas, a potential star of the future, who should prevail in a hard-fought 12-rounder.
Sky Sports Action/main Event broadcast to the UK, and ESPN+ in America.
THE VERDICT It’s little wonder this one has flown under the radar, but it’s a chance to impress US audiences.