For one agonising moment, Nkosinathi Joyi’s rematch against Rey Loreto appeared to have fallen off the radar again.
But promoter Siphatho Handi pulled out all the stops to ensure that “Mabhere” gets his redemption fight which will now take place at the Mdantsane Indoor Centre tomorrow.
“There were challenges but I could not cancel this fight again because Joyi would have given up now,” Handi admitted.
The fight had been cancelled twice before, with the first plug being pulled last December before Loreto forced a postponement from February 28 when he suffered an injury in training.
The repeated cancellations were evident at the premedical this week when Joyi appeared irritated even during the photo shoot.
While the 31-year-old is always moody ahead of his fights, he was worse this week when he sulked and even tried to duck interviews.
“Mabhere does not like to talk before his fights and he is not very fond of training,” reasoned his trainer Boy Boy Mpulampula.
But Joyi’s mood appeared to be caused by something more than training.
Having trained so hard twice before only for the fight to be cancelled it obviously strained his patience.
Whether he will take that attitude into the ring remains to be seen but if he does not in turn become more positive he might see the repeat of his shocking knockout defeat by Loreto.
The Filipino was in surprisingly high spirits despite coming off a long flight from Manilla. He had no problem doing just about everything that was asked of him with a little bow of respect – often displayed by Asians.
Mpulampula allayed fears that Joyi was not in the right frame of mind ahead of this make or break fight.
“No, no, Nkosinathi is just being Nkosinathi, nothing to it.”
Joyi’s career will almost be over if he loses to Loreto again and for that reason he needs to be at his very best physically and psychologically.
Once a seemingly invincible boxer who was at the pound for pound summit in the mini-flyweight division, Joyi has suddenly found himself not just fighting to remain a player on the world stage but to save his career.
Mpulampula still refuses to credit Loreto for the monstrous left hook he pole-axed Joyi with, choosing to blame unfitness as the reason for the shock defeat.
The tournament will also see the return of once colourful former two time world champion Mzonke Fana who will take on Koos Sibiya in defence of his WBA Pan African junior lightweight belt.
Siviwe Hasheni will risk his SA junior featherweight crown against Bongani Mahlangu while Sinethemba Magibisela will engage in his first international fight when he takes on Loreto’s stablemate Jetly Purisima in a junior flyweight duel.
The tournament starts at 2pm.
The big showdown
But promoter Siphatho Handi pulled out all the stops to ensure that “Mabhere” gets his redemption fight which will now take place at the Mdantsane Indoor Centre tomorrow.
“There were challenges but I could not cancel this fight again because Joyi would have given up now,” Handi admitted.
The fight had been cancelled twice before, with the first plug being pulled last December before Loreto forced a postponement from February 28 when he suffered an injury in training.
The repeated cancellations were evident at the premedical this week when Joyi appeared irritated even during the photo shoot.
While the 31-year-old is always moody ahead of his fights, he was worse this week when he sulked and even tried to duck interviews.
“Mabhere does not like to talk before his fights and he is not very fond of training,” reasoned his trainer Boy Boy Mpulampula.
But Joyi’s mood appeared to be caused by something more than training.
Having trained so hard twice before only for the fight to be cancelled it obviously strained his patience.
Whether he will take that attitude into the ring remains to be seen but if he does not in turn become more positive he might see the repeat of his shocking knockout defeat by Loreto.
The Filipino was in surprisingly high spirits despite coming off a long flight from Manilla. He had no problem doing just about everything that was asked of him with a little bow of respect – often displayed by Asians.
Mpulampula allayed fears that Joyi was not in the right frame of mind ahead of this make or break fight.
“No, no, Nkosinathi is just being Nkosinathi, nothing to it.”
Joyi’s career will almost be over if he loses to Loreto again and for that reason he needs to be at his very best physically and psychologically.
Once a seemingly invincible boxer who was at the pound for pound summit in the mini-flyweight division, Joyi has suddenly found himself not just fighting to remain a player on the world stage but to save his career.
Mpulampula still refuses to credit Loreto for the monstrous left hook he pole-axed Joyi with, choosing to blame unfitness as the reason for the shock defeat.
The tournament will also see the return of once colourful former two time world champion Mzonke Fana who will take on Koos Sibiya in defence of his WBA Pan African junior lightweight belt.
Siviwe Hasheni will risk his SA junior featherweight crown against Bongani Mahlangu while Sinethemba Magibisela will engage in his first international fight when he takes on Loreto’s stablemate Jetly Purisima in a junior flyweight duel.
The tournament starts at 2pm.
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