Mdantsane southpaw Siyakholwa Kuse will finally fulfil his boxing dream after he was approved to challenge for a world title, though he will have to travel to enemy territory for it.
Kuse will challenge Filipino Melvin Jerusalem for the WBC mini-flyweight title in Manila on a yet to be confirmed date in October.
The news comes when Kuse was scheduled to face another Filipino, Joey Canoy, for the sanctioning body’s elimination bout at Emperors Palace on October 4.
The fight was scheduled after Kuse beat another Filipino, Samuel Salva, at the same venue in May when he picked himself off the canvas and benefited from the referee’s lengthy delay in ordering the resumption of the fight after he was dropped.
Attended by Jerusalem’s promoter, Claude Mananquil, the fight marked the first time Kuse fought under new management since defecting from Mla Tengimfene’s All Winners Boxing Club in Mdantsane in December.
Mananquil was asked by the media about the possible Kuse challenge against Jerusalem, but he insisted that he must first get past Canoy to earn his shot.
Jerusalem was preparing for a title defence against former IBF king Daniel Valladares, but visa challenges prevented the Mexican from taking the fight.
Valladares had been a second preference after Jerusalem could not secure a title unification clash against WBO champion Oscar Collazo, who previously dethroned and stopped him in May 2023 in the US.
The Filipino is fresh from beating Japanese Yudai Shigeoka, whom he had previously dethroned for the WBC title.
While no-one from his promotional home, Golden Gloves Promotion (GGP), was prepared to officially confirm Kuse’s shot against Jerusalem with the promotional powerhouse yet to post it on its socials, international boxing publications pounced on the story, attributing the Filipino’s change of direction to his inability to secure the preferred unification clashes.
Rather than sit and wait for his next mandatory defence to be decided by Kuse’s clash against Canoy, Jerusalem decided to accommodate the Mdantsane boxer in his own backyard.
“Jerusalem’s camp has enjoyed cordial relations with GGP, confirmed by Mananquil’s visit to their tournament in May,” a source within GGP said.
“So when Jerusalem’s clash against Valladares fell through, Kuse was the logical choice.”
However, rather than coming to Kuse’s country as he did when he fought Shigeoka in his Japanese backyard due to financial incentives, Jerusalem decided to benefit from home-ground advantage, having prevailed when he beat Mexican Luis Castillo in his first defence in September.
Kuse, 25, will be fighting abroad for the first time and will be tagged as an underdog against the Filipino, who has lost three times in 27 bouts compared with the Mdantsane fighter’s two losses and a draw in 12 bouts.
The fight will mark the second time an SA boxer challenges for the WBC mini-flyweight belt after Mthatha-born Simpiwe Konkco failed in his bid to dethrone long-reigning Thai Chayaphon Moonsri in Chonburi, Thailand, in October 2019.
Canoy will now face Kuse’s victim-turned stablemate Beaven Sibanda in an IBF international title clash at Emperors Palace on October 4.
Daily Dispatch
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