Duncan Village’s Phumelela Cafu has dedicated his July 19 world unification clash against Jesse Rodriguez to his previous opponent, Kosei Tanaka, after the Japanese boxer announced his retirement from the sport owing to persistent eye injuries.
Tanaka’s announcement took the boxing scene by surprise as he is only 29, but already a four-division world champion.
He won titles in mini-flyweight, junior-flyweight, flyweight and junior bantamweight, with his reign ended by Cafu in an upset in October.
Unknown in boxing circles besides back home, Cafu travelled to Japan to inflict the second loss to Tanaka in 22 bouts and seize his WBO junior bantamweight title.
Tanaka, who finished the bout with his eyes badly swollen, was expected to push for a rematch, but the injuries which he said had been bothering him forced him to hang up his gloves.
Cafu is using the WBO title he won from the Japanese as leverage for a big-money fight against WBC and Ring champion Rodriguez when they face off in a battle of unbeatens in Frisco in the US in July.
Reacting to Tanaka’s retirement, Cafu said he would always be grateful to the boxer for allowing him to introduce himself to the world when no-one knew of him.
“My heart goes out to him for having to retire for health reasons,” he said.
“To me, he will remain a legend. The facts are there for everyone to see: four division world champion before hitting the 30 age mark is the stuff of legends.”
Cafu,26, said that had Tanaka not agreed to fight him, he would probably still be unknown, but now he is on the cusp of more achievements as he heads to the biggest fight of his career against Rodriguez, better known as “Bam”.
Cafu showed his gratitude to Tanaka when he gave him his boxing robe after their epic fight.
While he will enter the unification fight as a big underdog due to the American’s credentials, which have ensconced him in the pound-for-pound list, Cafu feels Tanaka is a better boxer than his upcoming foe.
“I feel Tanaka is better than Bam; it is just that Bam is a southpaw and that makes him tricky.”
Tanaka's decision to curtail his career has made Cafu rethink his own future in a risky sport rife with injuries.
Cafu said he would seriously consider retirement at the age of 30, depending on how his career went.
“It must be hard to be forced by injury to retire when still at your peak, and that is why I do not want to find myself in that situation.
“But health should come first, regardless of your age, so I am with Tanaka on this one.”
He said Tanaka would never be forgotten in boxing for what he had achieved and that he would dedicate his clash against Rodriguez to him.
Cafu is unbeaten in 14 bouts with three draws, juxtapositioned with the American’s 21 wins in as many fights.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.