Following his triumph over Zimbabwean boxer Beaven Sibanda last Friday, Siyakholwa Kuse has now vacated both the South African and African Boxing Union (ABU) minimumweight titles.
The lad from Mdantsane overcame Sibanda via a majority decision to become the new World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver mini-flyweight champion at the Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.
Two judges Francis Chirwa from Zambia (117-111) and South African Ben Ncapai (115-114) nodded in unison saying that Kuse had done enough to win the fight while Zimbabwean Gloria Dera’s score card read 114-114.
“We have agreed with Siyakholwa that he’s vacating the SA title. We will write a letter informing Boxing South Africa about our decision to vacate the SA title. Even the ABU title is vacant now,” Kuse’s hardworking manager Mlandeli Tengimfene confirmed.
And by winning the fight, Kuse put himself in a better position to challenge reigning WBC champion Melvin Jerusalem from the Philippines. Jerusalem became a champion after he dethroned Japanese boxer Yudai Shigeoka in Nagoya, Japan, in March this year.
Meanwhile, Kuse recaptured the SA minimumweight title when he outpointed Bangile Nyangani in a rematch at the East London International Convention Centre (ICC) in July last year.
Five months later, Kuse went to win the ABU after he registered an eighth round stoppage victory over Tanzanian boxer Khalid Kalama Ally at the Whittlesea Multipurpose Hall in Sada.
