Barely two days after joining Colin ‘Nomakanjani’ Nathan’s NO DOUBT Management, Mpumelelo Tshabalala has scored himself an opportunity to fight in an elimination bout.
Tshabalala will face Mexican boxer Sergio Mendoza Cordova in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) elimination bout with the winner going to face off against reigning champion Thanongsak Simsri from Thailand.
Tshabalala, a former South African junior-flyweight champion, is rated fourth while the Mexican is one place above him in the IBF ratings.
“Yep, we got the order (letter) for the eliminator for the number one spot and we have accepted, as have Cordova’s side. In the next few days, we will start the negotiation process to make this happen,” Nathan said.
Vusi Malinga, who manages Tshabalala, said: “I am very pleased to see Mpumelelo taking this significant step towards the IBF elimination. This is a remarkable opportunity for him to establish himself as a prominent boxer in Africa.”
The quick turnaround is something that Nathan is known for in the South African boxing industry. Last year, Phumelela ‘The Truth’ Cafu wanted big fights and felt that his career was going nowhere.
He joined Nathan and was given a World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title shot against Kosei Tanaka in Japan due to Nathan’s vast connections within the international boxing fraternity. Duncan Village-born Cafu scored a split decision win over Tanaka in Japan last October.
