Former International Boxing Organisation (IBO) minimumweight title contender Siphamandla Baleni has received one of the rare chances as he has secured a fight against top rated Filipino boxer Regie Suganob.
Baleni, an erstwhile South African minimumweight an junior-flyweight champion, has a date with Suganob at Tagbilaran City in Bohol, Philippines, on Saturday, 28 February.
Suganob is the same boxer who lost to Sivenathi ‘Special One’ Nontshinga in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight title contest at the International Convention Centre (ICC), KuGompo City, in July 2023.
“I’ll be travelling to the Philippines to fight against Suganob. This is the same guy who lost to Nontshinga at the ICC. I have known about this fight for some time thus I have been working very hard here in Johannesburg,” Baleni confirmed.
Mthatha-born Baleni will go to battle against Suganob on the back of a loss to Abongile Jacob in December last year.
On the other hand, Suganob comes highly regarded as he’s rated sixth by the World Boxing Council (WBC), fifth in the IBF ratings and third in the World Boxing Organisation (WBO). – Monwabisi Jimlongo
