Siyakholwa Kuse’s dream of fighting for a world title will become a reality when he clashes with Filipino boxer Melvin Jerusalem in far away Philippines on Wednesday, 29 October.
Kuse together with his trainer Manny Fernandes, assistant trainer Richard Fernandes and his manager Brian Mitchell will fly out of South Africa for the Philippines on Tuesday, 21 October.
“We are leaving on the 21st of this month. I can tell you now that Kuse is getting better and better. He’s improving very well. I expect a great performance and we have a very good chance of winning this fight even though we will be fighting in our opponent’s backyard,” Fernandes remarked.
While preparing for this World Boxing Council (WBC) mini-flyweight title fight, Kuse, who will be out to make history by becoming the first WBC champion from the Eastern Cape, sparred with the Malajika brothers – International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior-bantamweight champion Ricardo and his younger brother Charlton.
And now the Mdantsane-born Kuse, a former South African and African Boxing Union (ABU) minimumweight champion, is focusing on his sparring sessions with hard-hitting Zimbabwean boxer Ndabezinhle Phiri.
“Initially, we had sparring sessions with Ricardo and Charlton. Now Kuse is sparring with Phiri , who I believe is a perfect sparring partner as he’s lighter,” Fernandes said.
Kuse will go to the Jerusalem fight on the back of a win over Filipino opponent Samuel Salva at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, in May.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Jerusalem won the WBC title after he defeated now retired Japanese boxer Yudai Shigeoka via a split decision in Japan in March last year.
Jerusalem has since defended the title twice – beating Shigeoka in March and Luis Castillo from Mexico in September last year. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
