By Monwabisi Jimlongo
When Sivenathi ‘Special One’ Nontshinga leaves South Africa for Mexico next weekend, he will be carrying the hopes of a South African boxing community, which is yearning for a legitimate world title.
Nontshinga’s stablemate at Hot Box Gym, Moruti Mthalane, was the last South African boxer to have held a title from one of the world’s top four boxing bodies – World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).
The 39-year-old Mthalane lost his IBF flyweight crown when he was dethroned by Sunny Edwards from the United Kingdom in April last year.
Now, the 23-year-old Nontshinga is going to face off with Mexican Hector Flores in a vacant IBF junior-flyweight title contest in Hermosillo, Sorona, in Mexico on Saturday, 3 September (Sunday, 4 September, South African time).
“I’m sure he understands the magnitude of this fight. Obviously, I also do, under pressure as well,” Nontshinga’s trainer Colin ‘Nomakanjani’ Nathan said.
After winning all his 10 fights with nine of those via the short route, Nontshinga, a former African Boxing Union (ABU) junior-flyweight champion, gets an opportunity to write his name in boxing history books when he clashes with Flores on foreign soil.
“I’m confident that he’s going to be a champion of the world. We know what is at stake and we are looking forward to being champion of the world. We know it’s not gonna be easy,” Nathan remarked.
Nontshinga, Nathan, the boxer’s father Thembani Gopheni as well as Royal Talent Management’s Siya Zingelwa are scheduled to leave South Africa for Mexico next weekend.
