No matter the result, history will be made Saturday evening at the Save Mart Center, when Jerwin Ancajas defends the IBF junior bantamweight title against Jonas Sultan. It will be the first all-Filipino world title bout contested since 1925. In the co-feature, WBA 115-pound champion Kal Yafai of Birmingham, England, will make his U.S. debut against two-time world title challenger David Carmona.
Many of the fighters from Saturday’s card worked out for the media Wednesday at Heartbeat Boxing. This is what they had to say.
Jerwin Ancajas: “My goal is to entertain the crowd. For my fans, the Filipino community here, I’m looking forward to this fight. I’m proud that my dream has come true. All of my sacrifices paid off. Sultan is hungry for a world title fight, to prove he is the best. I am confident, but not overconfident, because he’s also Filipino. We are expecting a good fight for the fans. There are many great fighters in the Philippines, and I am happy that Jonas and myself can share this big stage. We are making history, and I am glad that we can fight to see who is the best.”
Jonas Sultan: “For me, I’m really proud for this fight because I am the one fighting for a championship that is history-making in the Philippines. I am very grateful that I am the one. This is my dream in life, to fight for the world championship. This is very good for me because this is an important opportunity. Jerwin is a good fighter. He has speed and power. I trained hard. I have a really good plan for this fight.”
Kal Yafai: “It was the right time in my career {to make my American debut}. I had the opportunity, to not only to fight in the U.S., but fight on a Top Rank card. Top Rank is a very respected promoter, and my promoter, Eddie Hearn, thought it was the best opportunity for me. So, that’s what we did. At this moment, I don’t really care about {Ancajas-Sultan} because I have a job to do myself. I’m not looking past this fight. After my fight, I’ll obviously watch the fight if I’m not too tired. I always concentrate on what I have in front of me. There are plenty of great fighters at 115 pounds. Jonas Sultan is a great fighter, and he can’t be written off on Saturday night. Jerwin is a great fighter also, who I expect to win on Saturday.”