Sivenathi Nontshinga will once again hit the road for a title fight.
The Ring’s No. 2-rated junior flyweight risks his IBF belt versus former WBC titlist Masamichi Yabuki. The scheduled twelve-round bout will headline an Oct. 12 ABEMA-TV stream from Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi, Japan.
South Africa’s Nontshinga (13-1, 10 knockouts) will fight outside his home country—and continent—for the fourth time in five ring appearances.
The 25-year-old from Eastern Cape twice won the IBF belt on the road, both occasions taking place in Mexico. He defeated Tijuana’s Hector Flores (20-0-4, 10 KOs at the time) in their Sept. 2022 Fight of the Year contender in Hermosillo, Mexico. One successful defense followed, a points win over Regie Suganob (13-0 at the time) in S. Africa.
Nontshinga’s reign ended in a stunning first-round knockout defeat to Mexico’s drian Curiel (24-6-1, 5 KOs) last Nov. 4 in Monte Carlo. He then traveled to Curiel’s home country for their Feb. 16 rematch. Nontshinga rallied in a tenth-round knockout to regain his title.
Efforts were made to unify versus then RING/WBA/WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) and then-WBO titlist Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs). Both avenues were explored as Nontshinga was ordered to face mandatory challenger Christian Araneta.
Those efforts prove futile, though oddly all three—Nontshinga, Teraji and Gonzalez–fight on consecutive days in Japan. Teraji faces Nicaragua’s Cristofer Rosales (38-6, 22 KOs) for the vacant WBC flyweight title on Oct. 13 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. One night later at the same venue, Gonzalez challenges WBO flyweight titlist Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs).
If nothing else, Nontshinga can travel across country to take in the action, assuming he prevails in his title defense.
Yabuki (16-4, 15 KOs), No. 6 at 108, authored one of the biggest upsets of 2021 in his lone career title win.
The hard-hitting junior flyweight from Nagoya, Aichi dethroned Teraji via tenth-round stoppage in their Sept. 2021 thriller. His reign was short-lived, as Teraji emphatically avenged the defeat in a March 2022 third-round knockout.
Three wins have followed for Yabuki, all inside the distance. In his most recent start, the 32-year-old knockout artist halted Nicargua’s Kevin Vivas (7-3, 2 KOs) in the fourth round of their March 16 clash in Nagoya.
All four of Yabuki’s defeats have come versus former, present or future titleholders—Teraji, Daniel Matellon, Seigo Akui and Junto Nakatani.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring.
