Why Chauke thinks global pundits are wrong on Cafu’s chances of whamming Bam

Former world champion Jackson Chauke says how Phumelela Cafu handles the issue of his self-belief will be the determining factor in his effort to dethrone Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez as the WBC and The Ring junior bantamweight world boxing champion.

Cafu and the highly rated American collide in a unification bout at the Ford Centre at The Star, the training campus of the Dallas Cowboys, in Frisco, Texas on on Saturday night (early hours of Sunday morning).

Cafu, known by his nickname “The Truth”, holds the WBO belt. The winner will hold all three titles simultaneously and march into fame and fortune.

Nicknamed “M3" after the superfast German BMW by late legendary trainer Nick “Mthakathi” Durandt, Chauke recognises Cafu's qualities. The former South African and IBO flyweight belt-holder said he is not certain about Cafu's self-belief going into a fight against a boxer Chauke described as a future hall-of-famer.

Chauke fought against Cafu twice, in 2022 and 2023. Their first fight for Chauke's national title was declared a majority draw and Cafu won the second by a razor-thin split points decision.

“That's when I identified his qualities,” Chauke said. “It's all in the mind, it’s doable, [about the] right attitude. That's why I mentioned confidence which is obtained from self-belief.

“I am talking about the will to want to win this fight because the tools are in place. His trainer-manager Colin Nathan has done wonders in improving on his ring generalship; it's on point; I mean you saw him against Kosei Tanaka when he won the WBO title in [Japan] in October.”

Chauke says he's been following some international boxing websites and their reports say it's going to be Rodriguez's easiest defence — his second since winning the WBC and The Ring belts by a seventh round KO of Juan Francisco Estrada on June 29 2024. Rodriguez retained his belt with a third-round stoppage of Pedro Guevara on November 9.

“Unfortunately [for the pundits], Cafu has two hands like Bam and has equal chances of winning. He's got power and has that one-punch knock-down. Cafu must be scientific in his approach, defuse Bam's explosiveness by taking the fight straight to him with great energy.

“It's every boxer's dream to appear in such big fights in the US and that must also push him beyond his limits. Bam is a human being who is capable of either making a mistake or having a bad day at the office.

“I have been following him for a long time now; he's very exciting to watch and I believe he is a future hall-of-famer. This time he's fighting against my countryman, so I am rooting for my boy to make himself proud and show the world that given opportunities South Africans can stand shoulder to shoulder against the best and emerge victorious.”

Win or lose, 30-year-old Cafu will be handsomely remunerated to the tune of about eight figures, thanks to manager Nathan's acumen in negotiating good purses for all his fighters.

Cafu's short journey towards fighting for the WBO belt was paved by promoter Ayanda Matiti, whose Xaba Boxing Promotions gave the boxer career-advancing matches that improved his rankings. Cafu later bolted Matiti's stable and joined Nathan's Hotbox Gym in Johannesburg. Nathan's first assignment with Cafu was his win against Tanaka.

Asked how the Texas crowd will affect Cafu, Chauke said: “I think that's no issue at all because he knew a long time ago he would be going into Rodriguez's backyard. Cafu showed he can switch and focus on the man in front of him against Tanaka in Japan.”

It was reported that 4,500 supporters were in attendance at Park Arena Komaki in October, where Cafu dropped former four-weight world champ Tanaka in round five. That 10-8 round was a significant moment in the fight, ultimately contributing to Cafu's victory by split decision.

Cafu, 20, has 11 wins, eight by short-route. The 25-year-old Rodriguez, who previously held the WBC junior bantamweight title in 2022 and the unified WBO and IBF flyweight titles from 2023 to 2024, has 14 knockouts in 21 wins.

Also on the undercard will be Diego Pacheco's fight against Trevor McCumby, Austin “Ammo’ Williams” against Etinosa Oliha's in the eliminator for the IBF world middleweight belt and Arturo Popoca's bout against Dominique Crowder.

The tournament will be shown live on streaming platform DAZN.