With the success of HBO’s “SuperFly” series, ESPN is ready to have their own boxing card featuring two super flyweight world title fights.
On May 26, ESPN+ will stream a Top Rank Boxing card in Fresno, California, headlined by a historic all-Filipino world title fight. Jerwin Ancajas will defend his IBF super flyweight title against mandatory challenger Jonas Sultan in the main event while Khalid Yafai will look to defend his WBA super flyweight title against David Carmona in the co-main event.
The battle between Ancajas and Sultan would be the first world title fight between boxers born in the Philippines in almost 100 years. Ancajas, who has been one of the top boxers in the country and Manny Pacquiao’s top fighter in his MP Promotions roster, will look to not only defeat Sultan, but also set up a potential unification fight in his next bout.
Sultan has been a rising super flyweight coming out of the Philippines and even turned some heads when he scored a minor upset win over John Riel Casimero in his last fight in a title eliminator. Having held the IBF intercontinental super flyweight title since 2016, Sultan also owns a win over former WBC and Ring Magazine flyweight champion Sonny Boy Jaro in his last fight prior to the win over Casimero.
The co-main event bout will be Yafai's United States debut as the British world champion has been successfully defended his title twice in the United Kingdom. After wins over Japanese boxers Sho Ishida and Suguru Muranaka, Yafai is ready to unify the division, telling Fightful nearly a year ago that his goal is to hold multiple super flyweight world titles.
Although a fight against former world champion Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez never materialized, Yafai does have a shot at unification with a win over David Carmona. In a collaborative effort by Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing, Yafai and Ancajas will fight in a unification bout later this year provided they both win on May 26.
Standing in Yafai's way is Carmona, whose career had been hampered in 2016 and 2017, losing three consecutive fights, including a WBO super flyweight title fight. Carmona ended his losing streak when he defeated Jesus Iribe by fourth-round TKO to win a regional bantamweight title earlier this year, but has moved down in weight for another chance to win a world title.
Here is the main card (9:30 p.m. EST/ESPN+):
- Jerwin Ancajas (c) vs. Jonas Sultan: IBF Super Flyweight Title Fight
- Khalid Yafai (c) vs. David Carmona: WBA Super Flyweight Title Fight
Tale of the Tape:
Jerwin Ancajas:
- Record: 29-1-1
- Age: 26
- Height: 5'6"
- Notable Opponents: Jamie Conlan, McJoe Arroyo
- Titles Won: IBF Super Flyweight. IBF Pan Pacific Super Flyweight, Philippines Luzon Professional Boxing Association (LuzProBA) Bantamweight, WBO Asia Pacific Youth Super Flyweight titles
Jonas Sultan:
- Record: 14-3 (9 KO)
- Age: 26
- Height: 5'4"
- Notable Opponents: John Riel Casimero, Sonny Boy Jaro
- Titles Won: IBF Intercontinental Super Flyweight, Philippines Games & Amusement Board Super Flyweight titles
Betting Guide (Provided By Paddy Power):
Jerwin Ancajas vs. Jonas Sultan:
- Jerwin Ancajas Win: 1/7
- Jonas Sultan Win: 4/1
- Fight Ends In A Draw: 22/1
Khalid Yafai vs. David Carmona:
- Khalid Yafai Win: 1/25
- David Carmona Win: 10/1
- Fight Ends In A Draw: 33/1
