Sunday’s unification bout between Japanese boxer Kazuto Ioka and Fernando ‘Pumita’ Martinez from Argentina has created some keen interest in South African boxing.
SA and IBF International junior-bantamweight champion Phumelela “The Truth” Cafu together with his manager and trainer Colin ‘Nomakanjani’ Nathan are interested in the fight as they want to see who’s going to emerge victorious.
Ioka, the reigning WBA champion, and IBF junior-bantamweight titlist Martinez clash at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Duncan Village-born Cafu, who is rated fourth by the IBF and is third in the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) ratings, joined NO DOUBT Management recently and is now promoted by Larry Wainstein’s Boxing 5 promotions.
“We have already pencilled Phumelela in for our September show, but that will all depend on the next few weeks,” Wainstein remarked.
On who he thinks is going to win on Sunday, Cafu said: “I think Ioka is going to knock out Martinez because Martinez is just a come-forward fighter. He is wild and his defence is not so tight.”
Meanwhile, Nathan said about Cafu’s options going forward: “It will all depend on who wins and the next few weeks. But we are looking at getting him out in a keep-busy fight either defending his South African title or a 10-round non-title contest. I think the next few weeks will be interesting.”
