There was mixed reaction to Siyakholwa Kuse’s world title fight defeat in the Philippines, with some pundits claiming he was robbed while others said he did not do enough to snap the curse of an Eastern Cape fighter never having won a WBC title.
The Mdantsane boxer dropped a points decision to Filipino Melvin Jerusalem when he challenged for his WBC mini-flyweight belt at the Araneta Coliseum in Barangay Cubao, Quezon City, on Wednesday.
Forming part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the iconic “Thrilla in Manila”, the tournament staged by Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquiao’s promotions lasted most of the day, with Kuse’s fight taking place in the evening of an event that started at noon.
Kuse was aiming to become the first Eastern Cape boxer to win the coveted belt after four previous failures, though the odds were stacked against him.
However, he didn’t appear to be intimidated by the occasion, as he stole a couple of rounds before tiring in the later stages of the bout to allow Jerusalem to prevail by 115-113 and 116-112 twice on the scorecards to retain the belt.
With new handlers in his corner, Kuse seemed to be fighting on talent alone with no connection to his chief trainer, Manny Fernandes, who was assisted by his son, Richard, and manager Brian Mitchell.
This was noted by the SA record-holder for most world title defences, Vuyani Bungu, who said he believed the southpaw lacked the cutting edge needed to bring the title back home.
“To me the fight reflected what has been the concern of our boxers lacking a cutting edge at the top level due to having handlers who do not really understand them,” Bungu said.
“Our boxers join these Gauteng trainers who do not know how to push them over the line in crucial international bouts because they do not understand their backgrounds and character.
“Kuse would have made history if he had people who understood him because he had all the tools to win the title but did not know how to use them.”
Kuse left his Mdantsane training base, the All Winners Boxing Club under manager Mla Tenimfene, to join the Brian Mitchell Academy in Johannesburg shortly after being guided by Tengimfene to beat Mitchell-trained boxer Beaven Sibanda in December.
Tengimfene, who rehabilitated Kuse from drug addiction and revived his career, with former world champion Zolani Tete handling the training duties, was promised he would continue to be part of the boxer’s career.
However, he and Tete were left behind for Kuse’s biggest fight, with Fernandes and Mitchell, who had never previously manned his corner, chosen to guide him in the Philippines.
Fernandes admitted after the fight that his limited time working with Kuse contributed to the loss.
“I only trained Kuse for a few months before the fight,” he said.
The trainer said Kuse was found wanting in experience at the highest level, though he displayed a gallant effort that defied his record of only 12 bouts, with the loss to the Filipino being his third.
Daily Dispatch
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