Sivenathi Nontshinga to defend IBF title in front of home support

South Africa’s Sivenathi “Special One” Nontshinga is hoping for a happy homecoming when he steps between the ropes at the East London ICC tomorrow afternoon.

The 24-year-old Eastern Cape fighter returns to his hometown, very often referred to as SA’s “Meca of Boxing”, for the first time since April 2021 to defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior flyweight world title against mandatory 25-year-old challenger Regie Suganob of the Philippines.

Unbeaten records on the line

The potentially captivating clash between the two unbeaten fighters headlines Rumble Africa Promotions’ (RAP) impressive card slugged “The Uprising”.

Nontshinga (11-0-9 knockouts), trained by Colin Nathan at No Doubt Management’s Hotbox gym in Johannesburg, has not opted for the easy road after he unexpectedly captured the vacant title with a 12-round split decision in a war with Mexican Hector Flores Calixto in the latter’s back yard in September last year.  

In fact, it often draws some puzzled expressions when one considers he became a world champion in just his 11th professional outing and a national title-holder in just his fifth contest. But that is testament to Nontshinga’s incredible talent.

Few boxing fans will forget trainer Nathan’s inspirational “Six more minutes” speech to his charge (Nontshinga) in the last two rounds of the Flores fight in Mexico.

First fight away from home

His opponent Suganob (13-0-4 kos), known as the “Filipino Phenom”, has similarly climbed the ratings ladder at some pace and faced some tough opponents to become the top IBF contender, but has never ventured out of his home country.

Suganob, a skilled boxer-fighter, is venturing into unchartered waters in a manner of speaking, and while his boxing savvy won’t be questioned, he is likely to encounter a very hostile, partisan crowd in East London.

While Suganob’s management has indicated that they have the capability to take the decision out of the judges’ hands, Nontshinga will surely feed off the home support and keep the prestigious world title in South Africa. 

The Filipino is known to be a patient customer, not the customary Filipino front-foot fighter, with a very handy jab and a hallmark straight right, but his low knockout ratio suggests he’s not a massive puncher.

Nontshinga will have to put his strong boxing acumen, ring craft and tough shell to the test yet again and control the fight from the outset with a varying game plan to keep his opponent guessing.