By Monwabisi Jimlongo
Johannesburg-based boxing trainer Phumzile ‘Sweet Chocolate’ Matyhila believes that Ludumo ‘9mm’ Lamati’s fight against Nick Ball from Liverpool in the United Kingdom will set his charge on a path towards a world title contest.
Matyhila is going to lead Lamati to war when he clashes with Ball in a World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver featherweight title fight at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday evening.
Speaking from Belfast, Matyhila said: “This fight is gonna take us somewhere on a bigger platform. Remember, this is a WBC Silver featherweight fight. I sense that these people want to test their boxer against Ludumo and see how strong he is. What I know is that Ludumo has been tested many times before and prevailed.”
Mdantsane-born Matyhila, who is a former South African bantamweight champion, has added that they have an idea of what kind of an opponent Ball.
“We have watched some of his tapes and he is not a strong opponent compared to the opponents that Ludumo has faced before. We are ready for this fight and we are already on weight,” Matyhila said.
Lamati, a former SA and International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior-featherweight champion, has registered 21 victories (11 knockouts) and a draw while Ball has won all his 17 fights with 10 of those having ended in stoppages.
Meanwhile, Lamati’s clash against Ball is going to be the main supporting bout to the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight title contest between reigning champion Luis Alberto Lopez from Mexico and Irishman Michael Conlan.
This is going to be Lamati’s second fight since he moved up from the junior-featherweight division last year. He stopped Filipino boxer Mark Anthony Geraldo in the fourth round in his first fight in the featherweight division in Durban in November last year.
