Duncan Village boxer Yanga Sigqibo will again seek Tanzanian assistance in a quest to revive his career when he faces Msabaha Salum Msabah at East London’s Orient Theatre on August 31.
Sigqibo returns after his future in the ring was plunged into uncertainty when he was rushed to hospital after suffering an 11th-round knockout loss to Ricardo Malajika in their IBO junior bantamweight title clash at Emperors Palace in August 2024.
He spent three days at the Arwyp Medical Centre with suspected bleeding on the brain. However, the ailment was later found to have been misdiagnosed, allowing him to resume his career.
In a bid to regain his glory, which saw him winning the SA title and scaling the world ratings to third spot by the WBO, the 31-year-old decided to reshuffle his technical team by leaving Themani Gopheni and enlisting Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye to guide him.
However, he opted to use previous methods, including feeding on Tanzanian opponents, though this previously did little to help his growth.
Sigqibo will be facing a Tanzanian adversary for the third time, having knocked out Hamidu Kwata in December 2021 before labouring to a points victory over Luqman Ngambongali seven months later.
Both victories came when Sigqibo needed to redeem himself after his lucky escape against Filipino Jerald Paclar at the Boardwalk Casino in Gqeberha on the undercard of Sive Nontshinga’s IBF title elimination win over Christian Araneta in April 2021.
He was considered fortunate to get the nod over Paclar, who bulldozed him around the ring throughout the fight with Sigqibo’s repeated trips to the canvas being ruled as slips amid protests that he was being hit in the back.
Facing the Tanzanians did little to redeem him as he produced a lackadaisical performance in both bouts, casting doubt on his world title prospects, with the WBO even demoting him in its rankings.
But Njekanye said his new recruit would show that he still had plenty of boxing left against Msabah.
“Yanga has been working hard in training, and he still displays the hunger to get back to the top,” he said.
Though he is in the twilight of his career, Sigqibo sports an impressive record, with his loss to Malajika being only his third in 22 bouts.
He was also defeated by former four-division world champion Kosei Tanaka, who was eventually dethroned of his WBO crown by Sigqibo’s homeboy, Phumelela Cafu, in October.
Msabah comes into the bout on the back of a two-fight winning streak, both by stoppage, since suffering a points loss to his compatriot, Aliu Bamidele Lasisi, in May 2023.
However, the Tanzanian has been out of the ring longer than Sigqibo.
His last fight, against Abdallah Hassan, was in June 2024, when he stretched his record to 13 wins, three losses and a draw.
Daily Dispatch
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