STATEMENT OF INTENT
Yafai makes an impressive statement on his US debut, writes Jack Hirsch
Kal Yafai impresses on his US debut, as mooted unification clash looms large
KAL YAFAI could have sulked, could have even pulled out of his fight with
David Carmona when the challenger from Mexico City flagrantly came in three-and-a-half pounds over the super-flyweight limit. Carmona made no serious effort to make weight, giving him an unfair advantage over the defending WBA champion. But Yafai had come too far to back out now. The man from Birmingham was not only here to make his US debut, but also plenty of new friends in the process. Mission accomplished, as Yafai forced Carmona to retire on his stool at the end of the seventh round.
Yafai was only being paid $40,000 – a meagre sum for an unbeaten world champion, but it dwarfed the embarrassingly low $10,000 that ex-twotime world title challenger Carmona was scheduled to pocket. With the 20 per cent fine for not making weight, Carmona only came out with $8,000 before various deductions.
Yafai, as per the rules, split Carmona’s fine with the California State Athletic Commission, but the stakes for him remained the same. Although Carmona could no longer win the title once he failed to make weight, Yafai could lose it if he were defeated. But for Yafai, it was about more than just holding serve. He was out to create a buzz in a new market. And for the Englishman, it nearly started both spectacularly, then disastrously, in a wild first round.
A little over a minute in, Yafai connected with a left hook high on Carmona’s head, sending him sprawling onto his back where he lay for a few seconds as referee Raul Caiz Snr counted. Carmona was not fully recovered when he regained his feet. Yafai moved in for the finish, using a less than measured approach. Both punched wildly – defence be damned. Carmona, backed up on the ropes, lashed out with a left hook that hurt the champion badly. Yafai held tightly, but his legs were unsteady. He went down but it was ruled a slip. Yafai survived the crisis and gradually broke Carmona down the rest of the way. Carmona, though, would fight back fiercely at times and make Yafai work.
Yafai jabbed well, his boxing ability evident, but on this evening he shed his reputation as being a safety-first fighter, spending the majority of the fight in the pocket where he scored heavily.
In the fourth, Yafai landed a low left. Carmona went down and was dismayed when it was ruled an official knockdown. Then in the fifth, Carmona was dropped from a three-punch combination, but Yafai hit him while he was down and was deducted a point. From then on Carmona tried to engage, but his resistance was dwindling. As he sat in his corner at the end of the seventh, his forehead was cut and the left side of his face was bruised. He was expressionless as his corner stopped the fight.
“I was hurt in the first round,” Yafai sportingly admitted. “My hands are sore. They are in a bad way as usual.” Yafai smiled as he talked. There was much to be happy about on this night.
What the first world title fight in 93 years between two boxers from the Philippines was doing being fought inside the Save Mart Center (Top Rank/ Matchroom Boxing) is a story for another day. There were no surprises here as Cavite City’s defending IBF superflyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas won a unanimous decision over Cebu City’s Jonas Sultan by scores of 119-109 ( Jonathan Davis and Zac Young) and 117111 (Daniel Sandoval). Wayne Hedgpeth refereed.
The shorter challenger was unable to get past Ancajas’ jab over the first six rounds. He enjoyed moderate success in the second half of the fight, connecting with a solid blow now and again, but Ancajas – a protégé of Manny Pacquiao – was technically superior. In the last two sessions, the southpaw champ turned up the heat, trying to get a stoppage. Slashing blows found Sultan’s chin regularly, but he gamely hung on. The plan is for Ancajas to meet Yafai in a unification clash later this year.
THE VERDICT A Yafai-ancajas unification bout is certainly one to look forward to.