Boxing experts were surprised when Mthatha-born boxer Sikho Nqothole took a fight in Mexico in May against an unbeaten Rene Calixto when he was rated higher than his opponent.
Accompanied by only his trainer Phumzile Matyhila, Nqothole returned claiming he was robbed of a clear win which not only dealt him a third professional loss but saw him surrender his 10th rating by the IBF.
While top international adviser Coin Nathan played a role in helping Nqothole secure the fight, he was not overly happy for him to travel to Mexico where Nathan had been with his other boxers.
“We said it was very difficult to win in Mexico, and we had another route for him,” Nqothole’s promoter Larry Wainstein of Boxing 5, who works with Nathan, said.
Nqothole said his loss hurt him so bad, he cried in the anteroom.
“I was disappointed so much that I cried after the fight, but fans from Mexico came to my hotel room to talk to me and I felt better after,” he said.
“I felt I disappointed my team and supporters.”
On his return, he met the Boxing 5 team and took stock of what happened.
“We agreed that Nqothole should be part of Nathan’s No Doubt Management to get full backing and guidance of his career,” Nathan said.
Nqothole joins a roster of top fighters in the company, many from Eastern Cape, including IBF junior-flyweight champion Sivenathi Nontshinga, world-rated Duncan Village star Phumelela Cafu and his homeboy Simnikiwe Bongco, among others.
Nathan, who has excellent connections with the hierarchy of sanctioning bodies, especially the IBF which has since dropped Nqothole to the 11th spot, said he would be working to get the talented boxer back on the top.
“The business side of boxing is often compared to a game of chess, some moves and decisions are better than others.
“Some create a different pathway, resulting in a ‘checkmate’ scenario.
“It’s often a case of one step forward, two steps back and the above is very much like the decision recently taken by Nqothole.”
Nqothole, who should have represented SA at the 2016 Rio Olympics had it not been the decision of Sascoc to bar Olympic qualification via the African continent, sounded upbeat about the latest developments.
“Being ambitious, I would love to get a chance to redeem myself and get a world title shot.”
Among Nqothole’s victims since ditching the amateur vest after winning the gold medal at the Olympic qualifiers in Cameroon is the current IBO champion Ricardo Malajika which underscores his abundance of talent.
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