Former two-time world champion Sivenathi Nontshinga will begin his quest towards winning a third title when he faces tough Namibian Jonas Erastus at the Booysen Box Camp in Johannesburg on November 15.
The fight will be contested at catchweight as a compromise for the Namibian’s flyweight campaign and Nontshinga’s junior-flyweight, raising questions about the East London boxer’s decision to remain at junior-flyweight despite previously declaring that he would leave the division to move up in weight class.
Erastus campaigns in the flyweight division, for which he is the Namibian champion, while Nontshinga is still rated in the junior-flyweight where he won two world titles.
He first claimed the title by out-duelling Hector Flores in Mexico in 2022, but lost the belt by a stunning second-round knockout to another Mexican, Adrien Curiel, in Monte Carlo in November 2023.
He avenged the loss with a 10th-round stoppage to regain the belt, becoming the first SA boxer to win back his title from the opponent who dethroned him.
After one defence when he turned off the challenge of Filipino Regie Suganob in East London in July, Nontshinga was knocked out in nine rounds by Masamichi Yabuki to surrender the title in Japan in October 2024.
Yabuki later relinquished the belt to move up to flyweight where he captured the sanctioning body’s crown, with Thanongsak Simsri succeeding him.
After the loss, Nontshinga indicated he would see another title shot in a higher division but went through a long period of inactivity, raising questions on whether he would return to the ring.
Though he has been inactive for more than a year, the IBF kept him in a lofty spot in the junior-flyweight division, influencing his team to shelve plans of moving up in weight.
His father, Thembani Gopheni, who is also an assistant trainer, said it would not be wise to move up in weight and forfeit the lofty IBF rating.
“Starting afresh in a new division when we are still rated in the junior-flyweight would be surrendering another title opportunity,” he said.
“So it is better to stick around and see what happens in the junior-flyweight, hence we decided to take this fight in catchweight.”
The loss to Curiel and Yabuki are the lone blemishes in Nontshinga’s fight record of 15 bouts, keeping his international pedigree still intact.
However, Erastus will come with impressive credentials, having suffered a single loss to Englishman Alfie Clegg in London in June.
Erastus came to the fight enjoying a nine-fight winning streak with two stoppages.
Gopheni admitted that his son would need to be at his best to beat him in their non-title clash scheduled for eight rounds.
“Namibia is one of the strongest boxing nations on the continent, so we need to be on high alert, otherwise everything we are working for could go up in smoke.”
Gopheni will join Nontshinga’s training camp in Johannesburg next week.
Daily Dispatch
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