Japanese prospect disposes Jonas Sultan in 1st round

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Another Filipino suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of a Japanese boxer.

Following Jerwin Ancajas’ loss to Takuma Inoue, Jonas Sultan tried to reverse his fortune to raise the PHL banner high but Riku Masuda spoiled his plans after scoring a stunning first-round knockout victory during their non-title bantamweight clash on February 24, 2024, at the Kokugikan Arena.

The Japanese pug cruised past Sultan in the opening frame after landing a quick straight left punch counter to Sultan’s rib cage.

It was a perfectly-timed counter as Sultan lunged forward with an attempt to unleash a 1-2 combination but Masuda found the opening in the right side of the Filipino’s midsection.

As soon as the punch landed, Sultan quickly went down the canvas and curled his whole body due to the intense pain he felt.

Sultan tried to beat the referee’s 10-second countdown and even stood up with five seconds remaining. However, Sultan kneeled again and admitted that he could no longer continue.

The massive loss marked a sad day for PHL boxing as both Ancajas and Sultan suffered lopsided defeats at the hands of their Japanese foes.

Ancajas had his moments in the middle of the rounds when he landed several three-punch combinations to Inoue’s head and mid-section. In retaliation, the current WBA bantamweight king navigated his options and decided to stick with his one-punch efficiency to pile up his points.

With only 45 seconds remaining in the ninth round, Inoue unleashed a pair of vicious body shots that directly landed to Ancajas’ liver. After a split second, the Filipino pug kneeled in pain and failed to beat the referee’s 10-second countdown.