Glory-seeking Yanga ‘Showtime’ Sigqibo has said that he’s enjoying training at the Hot Box Gym in Johannesburg as he is preparing for the biggest fight of his boxing career.
Sigqibo from Duncan Village in East London is scheduled to clash with Japanese boxer and former world champion Kosei Tanaka next month. The fight is going to be held at the Takeda Teva Ocean Arena in Nagoya on Sunday, 11 December.
“I have been here for four weeks now. We are working very hard because I have a very important assignment,” the former South African junior-bantamweight champion said.
The 28-year-old Sigqibo has enjoyed a seven-year unbeaten run having lost only to Ayanda Ndulani, the current International Boxing Organisation (IBO) minimumweight champion, in October 2015. Sigqibo has 17 wins (five stoppages), a loss and a draw.
“He’s been working with us for weeks now. He’s working very hard here. He will leave for Japan straight from here and will return to East London after the fight,” Hot Box Gym chief trainer Colin ‘Nomakanjani’ Nathan said.
Sigqibo is coming up against Tanaka, who is a formidable opponent. The 27-year-old Tanaka is a former World Boxing Organisation (WBO) minimumweight, junior-flyweight and flyweight champion.
Tanaka, a resident of Nagoya, has an impressive professional record having won 17 of his fights with 10 of those ending in knockouts against a single loss.
Meanwhile, Sigqibo will be accompanied by his trainer Thembani Gopheni and reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight champion Sivenathi ‘Special One’ Nontshinga when he leaves for Japan.
