By Monwabisi Jimlongo
Azinga ‘Golden Boy’ Fuzile has turned down an opportunity to fight against International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior lightweight
champion Michael Magnesi in Italy as he is looking at fighting in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) elimination bout later this year.
The 24-year-old former South African featherweight champion is set to face Kenichi Ogawa from Japan in an IBF elimination bout probably in September thus his handlers decided against taking the Magnesi fight.
This is going to be the second time Fuzile engages in an IBF eliminator having been stopped by Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov from
Tajikistan at the Orient Theatre in East London in 2019.
The winner of the elimination bout between Fuzile and Ogawa is going to become the mandatory challenger to whoever wins when Rakhimov and Joseph Diaz clash for the IBF junior-lightweight title on 13 February in Hollywood, United States.
‘‘The thing is with Azinga is that after the Rakhimov-Diaz fight in February we are gonna be ordered to fight for the eliminator, which takes preference over everything right now,’’ confirmed Nathan.
With Fuzile having turned the down the offer to fight in Italy, the opportunity has now fallen on Khanyile Bulana, who is going to face Magnesi. And Nathan is going to usher Bulana into war when he squares
up against the Italian.
‘‘And then Bulana has been offered a shot. We are close to the finish line of the agreement,’’ Nathan said.
The 26-year-old unbeaten Magnesi, who has 10 stoppages in his 18 wins, last fought when he beat Rwandan Patrick Kinigamazi to win the IBO title in November 2020.
