More South African boxers are getting opportunities to realise their world title aspirations, with East London fighter Phumelela Cafu recently being approved to contest the title eliminator against Mexican Willibaldo Garcia Perez.
Cafu’s day in the sun follows that of Free State-born, Johannesburg-based Lerato Dlamini, who is scheduled to contest the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight world title eliminator against Ukrainian Arnold Khegai. While Dlamini’s management has already asked the promotional rights to be taken to purse bids after failing to reach an agreement with Khegai’s promoter, Top Rank, Cafu’s camp is hoping to strike a deal with Perez’s handlers after the Mexican boxer accepted the offer.
The IBF wrote to Cafu and Perez, asking them to confirm their availability to contest the vacant top spot in the junior bantamweight division. Cafu’s promoter, Xaba Promotions, immediately sent correspondence to the New Jersey-based world sanctioning body confirming their willingness to take the fight.
The IBF confirmed at the weekend Perez had also accepted the offer, leaving the two camps now waiting for an instruction to engage in negotiations within a specific period, failing which purse bids would be called to decide the promotional rights of the bout.
“We have been informed by the IBF that Perez’s people have taken the offer, so we are waiting for the federation to give us the go-ahead, which should be an order to engage in negotiations,” XP boss Ayanda Matiti said.
Matiti hopes to convince Perez to come to South Africa for the fight, which would maximise Cafu’s chances of winning. Cafu is unbeaten in 13 bouts, having knocked out all but two of his 10 victims, while the Mexican has lost five times and fought to a draw in 28 bouts.
The winner of the fight will probably challenge for two major world titles because IBF champion Fernando Martinez of Argentina and Japan’s WBA king Kazuto Ioka are scheduled to unify their belts in Japan on July 7.
Cafu has been at the doorstep of challenging for the junior bantamweight belt. In February he was at No. 4 in the IBF’s junior bantamweight ratings, a spot below Perez. Martinez won that belt on February 26 2022 when he defeated Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas from the Philippines. The champion defended it successfully on October 22 with a points decision against Ancajas in what was their second fight.
He is now enjoying the right to pick and choose his next opponent in the top 10 ratings. The No 1 and No 2 spots are vacant.
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