By Monwabisi Jimlongo
Acting Boxing South Africa (BSA) chief executive officer Erick Nsikayezwe Sithole is positive that whatever is still needed to be done regarding Rumble Africa Promotions’ upcoming tournament will be concluded before the end of this week.
The RAP tournament, which is scheduled for the East London International Convention Centre (ICC) on Friday, 16 June, is going to be headlined by a world title fight between reigning champion Sivenathi ‘Special One’ Nontshinga and Regie Suganob from the Philippines.
Nontshinga from East London will be defending his International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight title when he clashes against the Pinoy boxer.
“For now, I can say that the planning is at an advanced stage. There’s progress that has been made and I’m hoping that before the end of this week we would have concluded everything,” Sithole said.
“Preparations for such a tournament take a toll and also require a lot of stakeholders to get involved. I don’t think there’s anything that will distract them from having a tournament on the 16th of June. We are looking forward to that tournament. We will make a proper announcement once everything has been concluded.”
This is going to be the 24-year-old Nontshinga’s first defence of the title he won when he handed Mexican boxer Hector Flores his first career loss in Hermosillo, Mexico, in September last year.
Meanwhile, Nhlanhla ‘Mount Kilimanjaro’ Tyirha faces Pinoy boxer Miel Fajardo in a vacant World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Intercontinental junior-flyweight title contest.
