It looks like 2025 might become a very good year for current South African minimumweight champion Siyakholwa Kuse and he might even fulfil his dream of fighting for the world title.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver minimumweight title holder will be watching the rematch between WBC strawweight champion Melvin Jerusalem and Yudai Shigeoka with keen interest when the two boxers meet at the Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi, Japan, on Saturday, 29 March.
Already, Golden Gloves managing director Rodney Berman is said to have come to an agreement with Jerusalem from the Philippines regarding a fight against Kuse should he defeat Shigeoka yet again.
The 34-year-old Jerusalem, who was a late replacement, dethroned the Japanese in Nagoya, Japan, in March last year. Jerusalem then went on to successfully defend his title in a fight against Mexican boxer Luis Castillo in Mandaluyong City, Philippines, last September.
“I can confirm that I have been told that there’s an agreement in place. Rodney informed me about it in December. But there’s a lot that might happen as Kuse might even fight against the fourth rated boxer,” Kuse’s manager Mlandeli Tengimfene said.
Kuse has done exceptionally well in the last 18 months, winning three titles – the SA, African Boxing Union (ABU) and WBC Silver minimumweight crowns. And in the process, Kuse won his last four fights.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem’s clash against Shigeoka is on the undercard of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight bout between reigning champion Angelo Leo from the United States of America (USA) and Japanese Tomoki Kameda. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
