By Monwabisi Jimlongo
A date for the much-awaited world title fight between East London boxer Sivenathi ‘Special One’ Nontshinga and Hector ‘Baby Bull’ Flores from Mexico has finally been set.
Nontshinga is going to clash with Flores in a vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight title fight in Mexico on Friday, 19 August (Saturday, 20 August, South African time). The title became vacant after it was vacated by Nicaraguan Felix Alvarado, who moved up a division earlier this year.
“Sivenathi is going to fight against Flores on the 19th of August. The fight will probably be held in Tijuana,” Nontshinga’s trainer Colin ‘Nomakanjani’ Nathan, who also doubles up as Rumble Africa Promotions (RAP) international adviser, confirmed.
Nontshinga, who moved to Nathan’s Hot Box Gym in Johannesburg this year, earned the right to fight for the IBF title after the outpointed Filipino boxer Christian ‘The Bomb’ Araneta in Gqeberha in April last year.
The 23-year-old Nontshinga was supposed to have fought against Alvarado in December last year, but travel restrictions imposed by United States President Joe Biden regime because of COVID-19 robbed him of a chance to face the Nicaraguan.
Nontshinga is unbeaten in 10 fights having stopped nine of his opponents while Flores, who is based in Tijuana, Baja California in Mexico, has a professional record of 20 wins (10 stoppages) and four draws.
