THE RESULT: Sivenathi Nontshinga stops Adrian Curiel in round 10 of their light-flyweight rematch in the unique surroundings of Oaxaca, Mexico to win back the IBF strap he lost by second-round knockout in November.
KEY MOMENTS: A one-two from Nontshinga in round nine completely changed the complexion of the fight. The South African put a left hook on the end of the combination to stagger Curiel who needed the ropes to keep him up. In the 10th Nontshinga found a booming right hand which rocked Curiel who needed a standing eight count after being on the receiving end of an all-out attack from his opponent. Nontshinga then threw everything at him before referee Mark Calo-oy stepped in to wave off the contest with 44 seconds left in the round.
RECORDS: Nontshinga adds another win on the board and takes his record to 13-1 (10). Curiel’s three-year unbeaten run comes to an end and after 30 fights his slate reads 24-5-1 (5).
TALKING POINT: The overhand right which knocked out Nontshinga in Monte Carlo was nowhere to be seen in the rematch. Curiel was hell-bent on forcing Nontshinga backwards with relentless body attacks which tested the challenger’s conditioning who waited patiently for an opening.
QUOTABLE: “I’ve been working so hard ever since I lost the title,” Nontshinga said during a post-fight interview with DAZN. “Over Christmas I had no time for it because I trained so hard. He’s [Curiel] a good boxer but I’ve fought much better boxers than him, but I had to go back to the drawing board. I’ll get back to the gym because my dream is to become the first undisputed world champion from South Africa.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? The IBF will now request that Nontshinga faces a mandatory challenger in his next fight. Filipino Christian Araneta, who lost narrowly to the 25-year-old three years ago is currently the number one challenger. Curiel may land a trilogy fight in the future but for now he will have to rebuild to gain another shot at the ‘Special One’.
