Jonas Sultan Survives Knockdown, Floors Carlos Caraballo Four Times To Score Upset Win

Carlos Caraballo entered New York City with the intent of launching a championship run.

The unbeaten Puerto Rican was instead dealt his first career defeat, as Jonas Sultan prevailed in a ten-round shootout.

All three judges scored the contest 94-93 in a bout where Sultan scored four knockdowns while surviving one of his own to emerge victorious Saturday evening at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Caraballo took a measured approach in the opening round, eager to display boxing skills beyond his perfect knockout to win ratio. Sultan represented his most experienced foe to date, having fought at the championship level and even spending much of his training camp with prior conqueror and current IBF junior bantamweight titlist Jerwin Ancajas.

Sultan twice sent Caraballo to the canvas within the first three rounds, beginning with a right hand that staggered and dropped Caraballo early in round two. Sultan remained poised, not wasting any punches or feeling the pressure to close the show. Caraballo spent most of the rest of the round looking to land his straight left hand.

Caraballo found himself on the canvas for the second time early in round three. The unbeaten Puerto Rican connected with a straight left, but dropped his right hand long enough for Sultan to simultaneously land a left of his own. The Filipino contender flirted with disaster in landing a shot to the base of Caraballo’s skull while on the canvas, though warned for the infraction in lieu of a point deduction.

Caraballo turned the tide late in the frame, connecting with a left hand in the closing seconds of round three. Sultan appeared to avoid an ensuing right hook, though wound up touching his glove to the canvas in an effort to steady himself which referee Johnny Callas ruled a knockdown.

The sequence provided the very spark needed by Caraballo to swing momentum back in his favor. His confidence was evident in round four, which saw Sultan catch several straight left hands and the occasional right hook. Sultan was on wobbly legs in the final seconds of the round but managed to make it to the bell.

A more competitive round five gave way to another stunning development in the fight. Sultan regained momentum in a big way in round six, landing a flush right hand to send Caraballo crashing to the canvas for the third time on the night. Caraballo was slow to get up but alert enough to avoid getting caught with a fight-ending blow.

A night of firsts for Caraballo also included his entering uncharted territory at the start of round seven. He showed grit and recuperative abilities in weathering Sultan’s best moments to enjoy a late power surge. Sultan was bloodied and rocked by several straight left hands from Caraballo in a dominant round eight.

Sultan was far from done, though.

Caraballo found himself on the canvas for the fourth time on the night, with Sultan landing a flush left hook behind a pawing right hand. Caraballo was slow to rise, bouncing on his heels in convincing the referee that he was fit to continue. Action resumed, with Caraballo tying up when necessary and connecting with left hands in the closing seconds.

Sultan didn’t sit on his lead in the tenth and final round. The well-schooled Filipino stood his ground, firing left hooks over the top and right hands down the middle. Caraballo played enough defense to avoid most of the incoming, though at the cost of minimizing his offense at a point when he needed a bailout knockout to avoid his eventual first career defeat.  

Sultan—who also owns a win over three-division and current WBO bantamweight titlist John Riel Casimero—improves to 18-5 (11KOs). The win is the third straight for Sultan, who landed 85-of-302 punches (28%) and now emerges as a bantamweight threat.

Caraballo landed 95-of-213 punches (45%) in falling to 14-1 (14KOs).

Sultan-Caraballo served as the co-feature of Saturday’s show. In the main event, former title challenger Jose Zepeda (34-2, 26KOs) of La Puente, California faces Josue Vargas (19-1, 9KOs), a streaking Puerto Rican prospect based out of The Bronx.In the main event, former title challenger Jose Zepeda (34-2, 26KOs) of La Puente, California faces Josue Vargas (19-1, 9KOs), a streaking Puerto Rican prospect based out of The Bronx.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox