Jonas Sultan should focus on improving, not rush to a world title fight, says analyst

Newly crowned WBO intercontinental bantamweight champion Jonas Sultan must focus on honing his craft and not rush to fight for a world title, according to veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino.

Sultan, 29, gave Carlos Caraballo his first taste of defeat by unanimous decision this past weekend at the Madison Square Garden Theater. Though he delivered an impressive performance, Tolentino says Sultan is not anywhere near a world title yet at 118 pounds.

“Not yet [ready for a world title shot] and I do not like Sultan to get that kind of feeling. He has to keep working. Let us admit, Caraballo though undefeated, has fought nobodies,” Tolentino said.

“In fact, Caraballo was not highly rated. It was not like he was the number one ranked contender and Sultan defeated him. If that was the case, then maybe we can say he is next in line.”

Sultan, who currently holds a record of 18-5 with 11 knockouts, once had a shot at a gold-plated strap when he challenged Jerwin Ancajas for the IBF world super flyweight title and lost by unanimous decision in 2018.

Though improving, in his prime and exciting, Tolentino stressed that Sultan is the type of fighter that would need to fight a specific style to emerge victorious in his fights.

“Everybody was just fascinated with the unbeaten record of Caraballo. He (Sultan) has to tap his cheek, remind himself that Caraballo beat donut knitted fighters,” he said.

“He cannot be overconfident because the bantamweight division is loaded with talent that offers a variety of styles. Sultan will only thrive depending on the style of the opponent. He is not good with adjusting.”

—JMB, GMA News