Phumelela Cafu will bid to console the East London community of Duncan Village when he challenges for the WBO junior bantamweight title in a historic Japanese boxing extravaganza in Tokyo, Japan, on October 14.
The news came just hours before another Duncan Village boxer, Yanga Sigqibo, failed to lift the IBO junior bantamweight title when he was knocked out in the 11th round by Ricardo Malajika at Emperors Palace on Friday night.
Sigqibo, whose previous loss was against Kosei Tanaka in a non-title fight in Japan, suffered the first knockout loss of his career when he was dropped by the underdog and never appeared to be in the fight.
The former WBO top-rated boxer was on the receiving end of Malajika’s offensive despite entering the fight as a favourite.
He was subsequently rushed to Arwyp Medical Care Hospital in Kempton Park after collapsing in his dressing room.
However, Golden Gloves fight co-ordinator Jeff Ellis said Sigqibo was walking and talking, and receiving top medical care while being closely monitored after being diagnosed with bleeding on the brain.
While the sombre atmosphere permeated East London boxing circles, the news of Cafu getting a shot at Tanaka has been well received with the unbeaten star embracing the opportunity he has been chasing.
Cafu dumped the top East London promoter Xaba Promotions stable to join Colin Nathan’s No Doubt Management in Gauteng after complaining about a lack of direction in his world title aspirations.
Nathan, who enjoys connections with the international boxing world, activated his relations with Japanese promoter Akahiko Honda to give Cafu a shot at Tanaka.
“Success is built on relationships and in this game it is not what you know, but who you know,” Nathan said.
The fight will form part of the rare two-day tournaments promoted by Honda’s Teiken Promotions, which will start on October 13.
It will see WBA bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue defending his belt against Seiya Tsutsumi.
Kenshiro Teraji, who was originally targeted by Sivenathi Nontshinga for an IBF, WBC and WBA junior-flyweight title unification clash, moves to flyweight to contest the vacant WBC crown against Cristofer Rosales.
Seigo Yuri Akui and Thai Thananchai Charunphak will battle for the WBA junior-flyweight belt previously held by Teraji, while Shokichi Ishida and Jairo Noriega will dispute the WBO mini-flyweight crown.
The next day, Cafu’s clash against Tanaka will be supported by Junto Nakatani defending his WBC bantamweight title against Tasana Salapat, and Anthony Olascuaga making a quick ring return to risk his newly-won WBO flyweight crown against former WBO junior-flyweight champion Jonathan Gonzalez, who also turned down a unification clash against Nontshinga.
Japanese media are hailing the two-day boxing festival as the first ever in their land and possibly anywhere in the world.
A combination ended by a right hook behind the ear sent Sigqibo to the canvas in round six of his fight against Malajika.
Fight supervisor Andile Matika, an ex-boxing ring official who is now the representative of the Floral Gables, Florida, US-based IBO, said he did not see any rabbit-punching between reigning champion Malajika and vanquished challenger Sigqibo.
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