A proposed non-title fight between Siyakholwa Kuse and Siphamandla Baleni, which Xaba Promotions was planning for later this month, has left Mlandeli Tengimfene seething with rage.
Tengimfene has revealed that Xaba Promotions through the promotional outfit’s matchmaker Lwandile ‘Jazz’ Ntsito approached him with a view of matching his boxer Kuse against Baleni.
Kuse from Mdantsane is the reigning South African and African Boxing Union (ABU) minimumweight champion while Baleni doesn’t have any titles.
“Yes, I can confirm that Jazz approached me for a fight between Kuse and Baleni. I feel that my intelligence has been insulted and undermined. I mean why would I be approached to fight against someone who’s got nothing? Kuse is rated number seven by the WBC and now they want him to fight in a 10 rounds bout. That’s an insult,” Tengimfene fumed.
Tengimfene added: “Baleni is number 14 and we have two belts. Kuse deserves to fight in 12-round bouts, not 10 rounders. We are moving up nicely in the WBC ratings and we demand to be respected. Anyone who approaches me about any of my boxers must think twice.”
Contacted for comment, Ntsito denied offering Kuse a fight and said: “No, there’s no such thing. We never offered anyone anything.”
Locally, Baleni is fight starved as he has not fought since he defeated Mzamo Makhipheni in December 2022. Baleni dropped a points loss to highly-rated Hasanboy Dusmatov from Uzbekistan in Russia in November last year.
