Joyi's fallout with IBO is back to haunt him

THE fallout Nkosinathi Joyi had with the IBO has come back to haunt him after the world body denied him the opportunity to contest for its vacant junior flyweight title at Emperors Palace on August 31.

Joyi’s name was put forward for consideration to fight for the vacant belt by Johannesburg promoter Rodney Berman after the Mdantsane fighter controversially lost to Hekkie Budler for the miniflyweight version of the crown last month.

Berman, who has a good working relationship with the IBO president Ed Levine, wanted to console Joyi for the loss to Budler and was hoping to get the Mdantsane southpaw be approved immediately.

The IBO was expected to let Berman choose Joyi’s opponent from its top 35 rated fighters in the division.

However after much consideration the IBO refused to allow Mabhere to challenge for its vacant crown owing to the fallout in 2009 when Joyi dumped its mini-flyweight belt in the dustbin in disgust.

Joyi had held the IBO mini-flyweight title, which he vied for against Budler, for three years with an average of one defence per year until an opportunity to fight for a more recognisable IBF crown was presented to him.

The IBF approved him to contest for its elimination bout against Filipino Florante Condes in East London in 2009.

However, the IBO warned Joyi that he would be stripped of its belt if he went ahead and fight an elimination bout for another world body whilst a champion of the IBO.

Instead of facing the ignominy of being stripped, Joyi decided to dump the IBO and went ahead with the Condes bout, beating the Filipino in a lopsided decision to qualify for an IBF title challenge against then unbeaten Mexican Raul Garcia whom he dethroned in March 2010.

After two successful title defences in a span blighted by inactivity, Joyi was surprisingly dethroned by Mexican Mario Rodriguez in September 2012.

Having severed ties via the the IBF route, Joyi went back to contesting for the IBO crown losing a disputed decision to Budler in a bid to regain his title.

His business manager Siphatho Handi confirmed that the fallout Joyi had with the IBO was the reason his title challenge for the junior-flyweight title has been turned down.

“The IBO is obviously still sore by the manner in which Joyi relinquished its title,” said Handi.

Handi said Berman had since clinched a deal with the WBC to have Joyi contest for its international title against Filipino Benezer Alolod as a consolation for the IBO fiasco.

While international titles are seen as for development fighters, Handi shot down perceptions that Joyi was taking a back step in his career.

“Look, Berman has promised us a crack at the WBC title held by Mexican Adrian Hernandez if Joyi wins and therefore this title is a platform to bigger things for us,” he said.

Indeed, Berman has developed a close working relationship with the WBC having secured Gideon Buthelezi a crack at Hernandez’s title when the South African was knocked out in two rounds two years ago.

Alolod does not come as threat for the clearly ageing 30-year-old Joyi as the Filipino has lost four, drawn four with only 12 wins and a paltry two stoppages.