Jerusalem will have no ex(Kuse) in WBC title rematch

Siyakholwa Kuse is looking stronger and sounding more confident for his second crack at World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem at Emperors Palace on Saturday night.

“I’m going to moer him,” he told the Sunday Times this week at the Brian Mitchell boxing academy in Edenvale, where he’s been preparing with trainer Manny Fernandes.

Kuse was outpointed in his first challenge against the Filipino in Manila last October, but in the build-up to that fight he spoke with a hint of uncertainty about the task he faced.

This time around there’s no mistaking the self-belief he’s carrying into one of the biggest fights on South African soil in the past quarter century.

Iron Man

Fernandes is impressed with the way Kuse, who moved up to Johannesburg from Mdantsane only last year, has grown, especially physically.

“Siya has gone up a level. His strength has improved — we’re going to see it on the night,” said Fernandes, who has started calling the 47.6kg challenger Ysterman (Iron Man) because of the increased muscle definition.

Kuse believes he did enough to win the first fight but admits he tired in the latter rounds.

I don’t want any excuses. I don’t want him [Jerusalem] to feel like we robbed him in South Africa. Even if we go to 12 rounds I will make sure that it doesn’t feel like we robbed him.

“I worked too hard in the early rounds, so that’s why in the later rounds I feel like I gassed. We’re going to maintain our pace now.”

And he wants to ensure there’s no doubt about the result.

“I don’t want any excuses. I don’t want him [Jerusalem] to feel like we robbed him in South Africa. Even if we go to 12 rounds I will make sure that it doesn’t feel like we robbed him,” said Kuse, who is looking to become the fourth South African to own a WBC belt but the first from the Eastern Cape.

Master of rematches

Thulani “Sugar Boy” Malinga and Dingaan Thobela held the WBC super-middleweight title, and Kevin Lerena defends his bridgerweight belt in Belgium later this month.

Kuse’s manager, Brian Mitchell, was the master of the rematch, beating all five men he faced in return bouts, but he insisted that those bouts weren’t easier. “Not necessarily. It’s going to be as tough as the first fight.”

A few South Africans have, however, performed well in rematches over the years — including Malinga when he first won the WBC belt in his second match against Nigel Benn and Thobela while dethroning Tony Lopez for the World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight title.

Most recently, it was Sivenathi Nontshinga when regaining the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight belt in 2024.

Bigger purses

Kuse has plenty of motivation to fight for the win because that will open the door to the bigger purses he dreams of in order to look after his family back home.

Most of them get by on government Sassa grants. “I’m the firstborn, so I have to look after my brothers and sisters, help them to school because I didn’t go to school because we were suffering at home,” said the father of one.

Promoter Rodney Berman says the winner is on track for a unification crack at Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo, holder of the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) and WBA belts who is targeting the IBF champion, Pedro Taduran, another Filipino.

“They both know what they’re fighting for,” said Berman, who rates this as his biggest fight in South Africa since the Lennox Lewis-Hasim Rahman world heavyweight title clash in April 2001.

Berman said he “broke the bank” putting the bill together but added tickets were almost sold out, barring one or two tables.

The tournament will be broadcast by SuperSport on DStv channel 209 from 7pm.