Sinyabi ‘no’ to IBO title

SOME boxers would give anything to fight for a world title, but not Macbute Sinyabi.

Sinyabi turned down the opportunity to fight for the IBO featherweight title held by homeboy and former stablemate Simpiwe Vetyeka in a fight that was scheduled for next month in East London.

Instead, Sinyabi wants to continue with his goal of winning the lucrative Premier Boxing League (PBL), where he has already recorded a win over reigning featherweight champion Aphiwe Mboyiya.

“My goal right now is to win the PBL and everything else will follow later,” Sinyabi said during a press conference at the Mdantsane Fitness Joint recently.

Sijuta Promotions boss Andile Sidinile says he had made a generous offer to Sinyabi to face Vetyeka but was turned down.

“I would have given him the opportunity to win a world title and get the biggest purse of his career but he is not interested,” Sidinile says.

Sinyabi’s decision to turn down the fight is surprising considering the fact that it offers him an opportunity to win a world title, which is the missing link in his career which saw him make eight title defences of his SA junior-featherweight crown.

Seated with his new trainer, former IBF junior-featherweight champion Welcome Ncita, Sinyabi outlined his plans for the future and used the occasion to refute reports that his career was over after surrendering his SA crown to nemesis Thabo Sonjica in April this year.

Following his loss, Sinyabi severed ties with long time mentor Nick Durandt to return home to Mdantsane where he teamed up with Ncita.

However, their union was under threat from the beginning, when Sinyabi suffered an eye injury which required an operation.

While the NU12 Mdantsane boxer shrugged off questions around the injury, saying it was nothing serious, his eye was still visibly bloodshot.

“I do not want to focus on the issue of my eye but rather talk about what I plan to do for my career,” he said.

Sinyabi admitted that he was interested in fighting for a world title and would consider the opportunity only if it comes in the junior-featherweight division which is his natural fighting weight.

“For instance I would love to fight Sonjica again seeing that he holds the IBO junior-featherweight title. Other than that I will continue with my goal to win the PBL.”

While under Durandt his affairs were managed by Nick. This time Ncitha only looks after the technical side of things with the managerial duties handled by Sinyabi’s family.

And while he is campaigning in the featherweight division in the PBL, Sinyabi insists that he only does so for the league only.

Asked if he was running scared of Vetyeka after rumours surfaced that he used to get a spanking in sparring sessions, Sinyabi argued that sparring sessions and the real fights were different.

“I do not want to entertain anything about Vetyeka at this stage of my career, even though I want to win a world title,” he says.

Sonjica has previously beaten him twice by stoppages.

Sinyabi will return to the ring in the PBL when he takes on Lwando Molwana at East London’s Orient Theatre on October 25.