KuGompo City boxer Sivenathi Nontshinga will engage in a three-pronged mission as he faces former victim Regie Suganob in Tagbilaran City in Bohol, Philippines, on Saturday.
Besides the IBF junior-flyweight title mandatory spot at stake, Nontshinga will also be using the fight as a tribute to recently slain former two-time world champion Zolani Tete, who inspired him to follow a career in boxing.
Nontshinga was one of the speakers at Tete’s funeral, where he described how Tete influenced him as a six-year-old when he watched Tete’s WBF flyweight title defence against Xolani Ntese at the Orient Theatre in 2008.
The two would later meet at the All Winners Boxing Club where Tete doubled as trainer.
Now 27 years old, Nontshinga is using the fight as a stepping stone for a third crack at a world title, as the winner will get a shot at Thai champion Thanongsak Simsri, who defends the belt against Filipino Mark Vicelles in two weeks.
However, a minor setback struck Nontshinga’s camp days before he departed for the Philippines when he was involved in a car crash while driving with his father, Thembani Gopheni, who is one of his assistant trainers.
While Nontshinga escaped unscathed, Gopheni’s condition is unknown.
But eyes were raised when he was not part of Nontshinga’s team to the Philippines.
Nontshinga left with chief trainer Colin Nathan and cutman Bernie Pailman in one of his few entourages to a bout abroad.
Often roped in to be present in his son’s crucial bouts overseas, Gopheni’s presence offers Nontshinga a connection to where his boxing career started in KuGompo City, where he evolved into a star under his tutelage.
Now training under Nathan in Johannesburg, Nontshinga’s bond with his father has often helped him through some of his difficult bouts abroad.
One was when he rallied from the brink of defeat against Mexican Hector Flores to get over the line and win the IBF title for the first time in September 2022.
After he could not exploit his voluntary defence window, Nontshinga was forced to accommodate his mandatory obligation against Suganob, whom he beat by unanimous decision at the East London International Convention Centre in July 2023.
He later surrendered the title to another Mexican, Adrien Curiel, in November that year but avenged the loss three months later.
While he previously beat Suganob when he refused to engage and used lateral movements, there was a general feeling that had the fight been held in another country, his style of fighting on the back foot could have backfired.
Suganob’s team understandably complained about the outcome and has been chasing a rematch since.
The odds have therefore been stacked against Nontshinga due to him being a visiting boxer.
But that has not fazed him, with him saying he is used to fighting in enemy territory.
“I won my two world titles in Mexico, so fighting in an enemy backyard is not new to me,” he said.
Since arriving in Tagbilaran City, a tourist attraction, Nontshinga has been engaging in fight promotion activities, including meeting the mayor, Jane Censoria Cajes-Yap, who encouraged him to make use of the visit to the area.
The IBF will be represented by its president, Daryl Peoples, who will serve as fight supervisor, with neutral officials led by American Tony Weeks as a referee, Japanese Koji Tanaka joining Thai Kriengsak Thonghong and Steve Weisfeld, from the US, as judges.
Daily Dispatch