Landile Ngxeke’s former trainer, Mnyamezeli Shosha, has backed him, with caution, to prevail when he fights for the vacant IBF bantamweight title in Mexico on Saturday.
Sada-born Ngxeke, who was guided by Shosha in Mdantsane during his rise in the world ratings, culminating in the title fight, will face Mexican Jose Salas Reyes in Mexico City in the biggest fight of his life.
The bout will mark the first time he fights overseas and under new handlers after dumping Shosha and Xaba Promotions to join Colin Nathan in Johannesburg. He had previously fought seven bouts under Shosha’s tutelage, winning all since he suffered his lone loss when he was knocked out by Filipino Jayr Raquinel in 2022.
Shosha was able to whip him back to winning ways as he climbed up the ratings to a title shot. The bond they formed gives Shosha intimate knowledge of Ngxeke’s strengths and weaknesses, which could either realise or derail his world title aspirations.
Shosha said he knows Ngxeke has strong mental fortitude to succeed in any environment, including facing the raucous Mexican crowd. “I know Ngxeke because I worked with him for a number of fights and we built a winning team together,” he said.
However, Shosha insisted Ngxeke’s victory over Reyes would depend on the strategy designed by his current handlers. “I do not know what they are working on because I am not part of their camp, so I think it will depend on what they come up with to succeed.”
Nathan said Ngxeke was looking good in camp, displaying a high work ethic in his quest to return the IBF belt to South Africa. “Landile is focused, and he is in the zone and ready for the fight.”
Nathan said he had been impressed by the 30-year-old’s willingness to learn while pushing himself to the limit. Refusing to divulge the weaknesses he had detected about Reyes, he confirmed they had watched the unbeaten Mexican and had devised a plan to counter his southpaw style.
Ngxeke was last in action in June in East London when he beat another Mexican, Eric Gamboa, in a fight promoted by XP, with Shosha manning his corner. The victory was his 16th with a loss and a draw.
He has the same number of fights as Reyes, who was in action a month earlier when he scored a points win over Arturo Hernandez. The 23-year-old agreed to step aside to let then-IBF champion Ryosuke Nishida unify with WBC king Junto Nakatani in an all-Japanese clash in June.
After adding the IBF crown to his WBC collection, Nakatani vacated all the belts to move up to junior featherweight in pursuit of a lucrative clash against compatriot Naoya Inoue.
Ngxeke will be vying to return the IBF bantamweight belt to South Africa for the first time since Duncan Village’s Mbulelo Botile surrendered it to American Tim Austin in 1997.
Two South African boxers have failed in that quest, with Silence Mabuza and Vusi Malinga losing in 2012. Malinga also lost in 2013, while Mabuza came up short in two challenges against another Mexican, Rafael Marquez, in 2005.
East London, Eastern Cape and South African boxing are in the global spotlight this weekend as two boxers are involved in world title bouts and another makes a long-awaited ring return within hours of each other on different continents.
Leading the pack is Mdantsane’s Thulani Mbenge, finally defending his IBO world welterweight title against Russian Vadim Musaev in the United Arab Emirates on Friday. The bout will form part of the closing ceremony to the IBA world male championships, which punched off last week and will culminate in its global congress in Dubai.
Landile is focused, and he is in the zone and ready for the fight.
— Colin Nathan
As has been the norm for the world amateur body to dabble in professional ranks, 12 bouts will close the event at the Duty Free Tennis Stadium, with Mbenge making the first defence of the title he won in England more than a year ago.
The 34-year-old regained the IBO belt by beating Englishman Michael McKinson in October 2024 but his scheduled title defence in May against Namibian Emmanuel Mungandjela, whom he destroyed in three rounds, was demoted to a non-title bout.
A few hours later, the spotlight will be on Ngxeke challenging for the IBF bantamweight title in Mexico against Reyes on Sunday morning (South Africa time), having already arrived in Mexico after flying out from the OR Tambo Airport on Friday evening with his handlers, Nathan and cutman Bernie Pailman, with Shannon Strydom set to join the team.
The fight will mark the first time Ngxeke fights abroad with an audacious attempt to return the title to South Africa since Botile surrendered it in 1997.
On the afternoon of Ngxeke’s big moment, Azinga Fuzile returns to the ring when he takes on late Namibian replacement Sem Metheus at East London’s Orient Theatre. The fight will headline a Last Born Promotions tournament also featuring the South African mini-flyweight title rematch between Mthokozisi Ngxaka and Thinumzi Gqola.
Fuzile was originally scheduled to face Venezuelan foe Hector Gonzalez, who was forced to withdraw when his handlers could not secure visas on time. The former world title challenger, who lost an IBF junior-lightweight title clash to Japanese Kenechi Ogawa in 2021 in the US, is looking to get back to the world ratings after dropping a points decision to Kazakhstan boxer Sultan Zaurbek in his last bout in April.
Daily Dispatch
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