Yanga Sigqibo won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental junior bantamweight Title by beating Keyvin Lara over twelve rounds here at the Orient Theatre in East London, South Africa.

 

The judges scored the fight unanimously 117-112, 116-112 and 117-111 giving Sigqibo the nod after twelve competitive rounds.

 

Sigqibo’s crispier punch output throughout the bout earned him the win, Lara was no slouch either, coming forward and throwing many punches. In a classic boxer versus puncher affair, there was a lot of holding and constant stop start with the referee getting involved. So much so that in the twelfth and final round, the referee took a point off Lara for headbutting after numerous warnings, his defense being that he was being held by Sigqibo.

 

At the end of the fight Lara’s team wasn’t impressed with the amount of holding Sigqibo had gotten away with and demonstrated as such. Sigqibo improved to 12-1-1.

 

Athenkosi Dumezweni beat Ulises Lara via 4th round TKO to win the vacant IBO Super Flyweight Title. The referee stopped the fight at 2 minutes and 54 seconds after Lara was knocked down for the second time in the round.

 

Dumezweni dominated the action from the opening bell and used movement and his superior boxing skills to outbox the puncher Lara. Lara for his part kept charging forward hoping to land his right hand on the southpaw Dumezweni.

 

In rounds 2 and 3, Dumezweni used the perimeter of the ring to control the fight and land fast combinations upstairs and downstairs. In the third round, a short right uppercut landed flush on Lara’s chin knocking him down for a standing eight count, he survived the remaining 15 seconds of the round barely.

 

In the fourth, Dumezweni started where he left off, throwing combinations and going to the body often. A straight left put Lara flat on his backside for another eight count, at this point the writing was on the wall. It was no surprise when another straight left sent Lara curling up against the ropes and the referee stepped in to stop the fight at two minutes and fifty four seconds.

 

Good win for Dumezweni, he improved to 11-2 and should be able to defend his title several times with his great boxing skills.

 

Nkosinathi Joyi rolled back the years in winning the WBO Africa junior flyweight title by knocking out Mpho Seforo in 27 seconds of the seventh round.

 

Joyi nailed Seforo with a left cross sending him onto the canvass, the referee counted him out whilst lying on his back trying to regain his senses.

 

In an intriguing back and forth, action packed fight, Joyi’s knockout punch came as somewhat of a surprise, neither fighter was dominating at the time and all of a sudden the left landed and the fight was over. Joyi improved his record to 27-5 and puts himself back into the big leagues.

 

Other results:

Marios Matamba by Siseko Makeleni TKO4; WBO Africa junior welterweight title

 

Ntlantla Tyirha bt Bongani Silila TKO3; SA junior flyweight title