Jonas Sultan is victorious as he defeats Carlos Caraballo for the WBO intercontinental bantamweight championship at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on October 30, 2021 in New York City.(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
MANILA, Philippines — Jonas Sultan wants his name in the Naoya Inoue sweepstakes too.
After derailing unbeaten Puerto Rican prospect Carlos Caraballo, Sultan now has his sights on one of the top pound-for-pound fighters today.
“I want a foreigner like Naoya Inoue,” said Sultan (18-5, 11KOs) in Filipino on Tuesday during the PSA Forum.
The 29-year-old Zamboanga del Norte native made his case for primetime after scoring four knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision win over Caraballo in their 10-round bout to win the WBO Intercontinental title at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Aside from the undefeated Japanese, Sultan has other options for a world title fight with compatriots John Riel Casimero and Nonito Donaire holding the WBO and WBC belts, respectively.
Sultan, though, would rather tangle with Inoue, the WBA (Super) and IBF titleholder, rather than fight a fellow Filipino.
“It’s better to face a foreigner. I’d be more all out. It’s different when you’re up against a Filipino so I’d rather not fight a Filipino if given a choice,” said Sultan, who is still in quarantine in Manila after his arrival from New York.
The only time Sultan challenged for the world title was in 2018 when he lost via unanimous decision to Filipino champion Jerwin Ancajas.
But Sultan cleared he is ready to fight if a showdown with Casimero, whom he had already beaten on points back in 2017 in Cebu City, or Donaire is presented to him.
“If it’s mandatory, I will fight whoever. I never back down from anyone,” said Sultan.
Sultan’s next bout could happen in February and March.
In the meantime, he intends to spend a couple of weeks with his family before going back to training in the United States.