Unbeaten IBF light flyweight champion Sivenathi Nontshinga returns to action for the second defence of his title when he takes on the unheralded Adrian Curiel at the Casino de Monte Carlo on November 4. The 12-round bout will be the co-main event ahead of Joe Cordina vs. Edward Vazquez.
WATCH: Joe Cordina vs. Edward Vazquez, live on DAZN
The 24-year-old Nontshinga (12-0, 9 KOs) is an elite-level boxer-puncher who hails from the Eastern Cape in South Africa. His skills and poise belie his professional experience and from what we’ve seen of him at world level, he’ll be a serious handful for anyone at 108 pounds.
Nicknamed "The Special One" by his father, Nontshinga has a sense of destiny and is positively strutting after achieving his dreams.
In September of last year, with just 10 professional fights under his belt, the young South African turned in an excellent performance to claim the vacant title by flooring and outpointing Hector Flores in an excellent fight. He then followed up with a convincing points triumph over Regie Suganob in his maiden defense in July.
Despite this life-changing moment, the champion is fully aware of his responsibilities and he’s setting himself even bigger goals.
"It’s been a great thing because now I’m a role model to other kids," Nontshinga told The Sporting News. "There are a lot of people looking up to me, not only young kids but even their older peers.
"I am the only credible world champion from my country in Africa and it doesn’t end here. My aim is to take over at 108, to become undisputed, I want to leave a mark. I want to show other young kids that it is doable. And if you manage to get this opportunity, or achieve this dream, you must set higher goals."
Climbing his way up the undisputed mountain, which has been conquered in recent years by Naoya Inoue, Devin Haney, Terence Crawford, and Canelo Alvarez, among others, will be an arduous task for Nontshinga. The division leader at light flyweight is hard-hitting Japanese star Kenshiro Teraji, who has been in dazzling form over the past two years and has his own plans to consolidate the titles.
"First of all, I agree that Kenshiro is number one because he’s got two titles (WBA/WBC) and The Ring Magazine," said Nontshinga with respect. "Let’s give credit to him, you can’t take it away from him. He’s an old dog, he’s been doing his thing, but now it’s time for the young to take over.
"If there was an opportunity for me to fight him, I would take it. You have to be careful, you have to be cautious because Teraji is a big guy. He’s a beast in our division, and I respect him, just like any other boxer. I would love to fight against Kenshiro. I would love to unify the division against Gonzalez, but now we’ve got to take care of this guy [Curiel] and then we can go."
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At 24, Curiel (23-4-1, 4 KOs) is the same age as Nontshinga but a lot less accomplished. While the Mexico City fighter is unbeaten in his past eight fights and on a good run of form, his record suggests that he lacks the power to trouble the champion.
"I’ve watched his previous tapes… he’s a great boxer," said Nontshinga in something of an overstatement. "He puts pressure [on opponents], I ain’t gonna take it away from him, but now it’s my time to shine.
"I believe I haven’t even reached my prime and nobody is going to stop my shine. I haven’t even reached my prime. I’m still young, still growing. Even my fighting style, it’s growing day by day. Each and every day, I’m getting better. I’m going to achieve a lot. That’s the aim in the sport of boxing, and I won’t stop until I achieve my dreams, my goals, my vision, my mission. I want to be in the Hall of Fame, that’s what I want to do. When they announce the likes of Floyd Mayweather is there, and then I want to be there, for my country and to represent my country.”
You might not be as aware of Nontshinga as some other fighters, but he’s a terrific personality and an equally good fighter.
Stay tuned!