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Mdantsane’s Siyakholwa Kuse is tipped to finally bring the WBC title to the Eastern Cape when he challenges Filipino Melvin Jerusalem for the mini-flyweight belt at Emperors Palace in Ekurhuleni on Saturday.
For all its reputation as the country’s boxing hotbed, the province has never produced a WBC title-holder despite numerous attempts.
History favours Mdantsane’s Siyakholwa Kuse in his WBC mini-flyweight title rematch on Saturday with historic connotations.
Kuse faces Filipino Melvin Jerusalem in a Golden Gloves Promotion tournament at Emperors Palace in Ekurhuleni in a sequel to their October clash, which was the highlight of the 50th anniversary of the Thrilla in Manila celebrations.
Kuse appeared to be running away with the fight until Jerusalem staged a late rally and scraped through with a close unanimous decision, with most ringsiders believing the Mdantsane southpaw would have got the nod if the venue and occasion had not been designed for the Filipino.
Contrary to normal circumstances, Jerusalem surprisingly agreed to come to Kuse’s backyard for a rematch, which is also laden with historic connotations, as it will mark the first time WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman visits the country.
The head of arguably the most prestigious world sanctioning body will arrive in SA on Wednesday with activities lined up for him to engage in, including a meeting with Boxing SA (BSA) board chair Ayanda Khumalo on Thursday.
This has swayed the odds in Kuse’s favour, with his history of winning title rematches also adding to his advantage.
Kuse suffered his first loss in a South African mini-flyweight title challenge to Xolisa Magusha in 2019 in a fight most believed he deserved to win.
After reviewing the fight, BSA ordered a rematch, but Magusha had already committed to defending the belt to Sibusiso Bandla, who dethroned him and inherited the rematch order.
Kuse ruthlessly destroyed Bandla in five one-sided rounds to take the title.
However, Kuse surrendered the title in his maiden defence to Bangile Nyangani amid allegations of drug addiction.
After kicking the drug curse and working his way back into title contention, Kuse exacted revenge on Nyangani in a rematch to take back his belt.
Kuse’s trainer, Manny Fernandez, said his charge was in the best mental and physical condition for the rematch.
“Kuse understands the job done by Golden Gloves to make this rematch at home and has vowed not to disappoint the promoter,” he said.
“He is superb in camp, and the fact that he has been in a camp at Emperors Palace adds to his appreciation.”
Jerusalem is no stranger to defending his title in his opponent’s backyard, though the first assignment led to him parting with his WBO belt to American Oscar Collazo in the US in 2023.
He had been chasing a rematch, and on March 14 it was locked in for the US only to be scrapped, leaving him with no opponent until he settled for Kuse.
The Filipino also travelled to Japan to dethrone Yudai Shigeoka for the WBC belt in a stunning upset in March 2023.
He returned to Japan a year later for a rematch, beating Shigeoka more convincingly. The Japanese suffered injuries which forced him to quit boxing.
Besides demanding a handsome purse, Jerusalem also insisted on arriving in the country two weeks in advance to acclimatise and has been training in Johannesburg since the beginning of May.
Golden Gloves director Nivi Grogor said having Sulaiman as a guest of the tournament was a monumental endorsement of the quality of South African boxing.
“It has been nearly three decades since his father graced our shores, and to have the WBC president here to witness our talent first-hand is a powerful statement,” she said
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The first to challenge for the Mexico-based world sanctioning belt was the late Mdantsane’s Mzukisi Marali, when he was stopped in four rounds by Thai legend Saman Sorjaturong in a junior flyweight title clash in 1997.
Other boxers who also came short were Simpiwe Vetyeka, when he lost on points to Japan’s Hosumi Hasegawa in a bantamweight title challenge, and the late Mhikiza Myekeni, who also dropped to a points decision to Thai legend Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the flyweight version.
Mthatha’s Simpiwe Konkco was the first to try to bring the same title Kuse will be vying for, but suffered a points loss to another Thai legend, Cayaphon Moonsri, in 2019.
KuGompo City orphanage children are having the time of their lives in Belfast, where they are visiting the Monkstown Boxing Club for 10 days as part of a boxing-influenced exchange programme.
Led by world-acclaimed boxing manager Mlandeli Tengimfene, the entourage consisting of seven delegations left for Northern Ireland on Tuesday last week to benefit from the partnership Tengimfene’s All Winners Boxing Club forged with the Belfast club eight years ago.
The programme was curated to take boxing beyond the ring and spread it to other challenges confronting communities, focusing mostly on children in orphanages.
Initiated in 2018 when Mdantsane boxer Zolani Tete was in Belfast to defend his WBO bantamweight title against Siboniso Gonya, the partnership has grown in leaps and bounds, with exchange programmes involving regular visits by both clubs between the two countries to strengthen working relations in tackling challenges such as gender-based violence, social ills and other forms of abuse among children.
Monkstown sent its delegation to KuGompo City in 2018 where they were introduced to several orphanages in the city, and Mthatha adopted by All Winners.
This led to the cultural and history exchange programmes involving children from both countries to extend the partnership beyond the ring.
Speaking from Belfast, Tengimfene said the programme had since roped in the involvement of the British Council in a quest to forge bilateral relations between the Buffalo City municipality and Belfast.
“This programme has helped children to experience cultural diversity to broaden their knowledge, and we were pleased when the British Council got involved,” he said.
Focusing on children younger than 16, the programme has helped them to acquire proper travel documents such as passports and identity documents.
“As you know, some were abandoned at a young age and no-one ever thought to ensure they had the correct documents, so we had to arrange everything for them.
“You can imagine how they felt when they stepped into an aeroplane for the first time.”
Monkstown director Paul Johnson, who led his team in its last visit to KuGompo City in 2024, expressed delight with how the programme had developed to tackle challenges confronted by orphaned children.
“We have since established a programme called ‘Breaking Silence’ with the British Council aimed at ensuring that no child is left behind, and that will help strengthen our partnership with orphanages around the world, including Buffalo City, where Mayor Princess Faku is already a big supporter,” he said.
Tengimfene said the partnership decided to use boxing as a vehicle owing to the disciplined nature of the sport.
“Some of these kids get to experience sharing training sessions with well-known boxers, influencing them to follow a career in boxing.”
WBC mini-flyweight title-bound Siyakholwa Kuse was one of the ambassadors of the programme when he was under All Winners due to his incredible story of beating drug addiction.
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Of course Kuse is also on the list, as he came short against Jerusalem in their first fight in Manila in October.
But never has the opportunity to end the drought been amplified more than it is when Kuse goes for the immediate rematch against the Filipino, with no intervening bout between them since their Manila clash, when Kuse faded and lost the fight in the championship rounds.
The WBC, whose president Mauricio Sulaiman will be ringside for his first SA visit, was so impressed by Kuse’s bold stand that it offered him an eliminator.
But Kuse’s promoter, Golden Gloves Promotion, convinced the Filipino to accept an immediate rematch after Jerusalem’s planned unification clash against Oscar Collazo, who holds WBO and WBA titles, fell flat in March.
Siyakholwa Kuse has vowed to win the WBC mini-flyweight title rematch against Melvin Jerusalem to change the lifestyle of his family in Mdantsane.
Kuse will face the Filipino at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park on May 16 in a fight whose winner could secure a bigger and lucrative unification clash against WBO, WBA and Ring champion Oscar Collazo.
Jerusalem was initially scheduled to face Puerto Rican Collazo in a unification clash in the US this past weekend, but the fight fell off due to budgetary constraints.
Collazo ended up defending his WBO belt by forcing Mexican Jesus Haro to quit at the end of the sixth round, after which he again expressed his ambition to pursue the WBC belt.
This has raised the stakes in the Kuse-Jerusalem clash, with the Mdantsane southpaw confident of avenging his close points decision loss he suffered to the Filipino in Manila in October.
Kuse dominated the early rounds before allowing Jerusalem to rally back down the stretch and win the fight.
Kuse promised to start early and finish strong to ensure he left no doubt that he would be a winner.
“My mistake in the last fight was to fade in the championship rounds, maybe due to inexperience of competing at that level,” he said.
“But this time there will be no repeat of that mistake, as I intend to finish stronger.
“The fact that the fight will be taking place right in my backyard will be an added advantage for me, and I cannot thank my promoter Golden Gloves enough for affording me a home ground advantage.
“After my loss I figured that I would have to fight my way back to title contention, not knowing that I would get an immediate rematch, much less in my own backyard.
“This is what happens when you have a good team behind you, and all I have to do is to handle my end of the business by bringing this belt to the Golden Gloves family.”
There were concerns about Kuse’s future when he dumped his mentor Mla Tengimfene and defected from the All Winners Boxing Club to the Brian Mitchell Academy in Johannesburg.
Having saved Kuse and his career from drug addiction, which saw him surrender the SA title to Bangile Nyangani, Tengimfene enrolled the boxer in a rehabilitation centre and helped him regain his title by beating Nyangani in a rematch.
While he was cast in a bad light in local boxing circles and labelled disloyal, Kuse insisted his decision was motivated by the drive to provide for his family, which depends on him.
“My move to Johannesburg allowed me to financially support my family, as I have secured sponsorship deals and not only rely on my fight earnings,” he said.
“But winning this WBC title will be the biggest financial benefit for my family, and that is my drive going into this fight.
“I want to buy them a big house.”
Kuse will be the second SA boxer to contest for the WBC belt at home after the late Dingaan Thobela did so when he dramatically knocked out Englishman Glen Catley in the 12th and last round to win the WBC super-middleweight belt in 2000.
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While activities in their previous bout, such as celebrating the 50th anniversary of Thrilla in Manila, favoured Jerusalem, the rematch will coincide with Sulaiman’s engagements with the Boxing SA board as well as other SA boxing stakeholders, tilting the odds to the Mdantsane southpaw.
For his part, Kuse, who has never lost a rematch , has promised to start the fight strong and finish stronger to leave no doubt on the judges’ scorecards.
“I know the mistake I made in our first fight, which was due to my first time fighting in a foreign environment,” he said.
“This time I am fighting at home, but even if I were not, I would do things differently.
“At world level it is vital to finish strong, to leave a lasting impression on the judges.
The decision by Golden Gloves Promotions to take Ricardo Malajika to the WBC eliminator instead of facing Sikho Nqothole for the IBF elimination clash has been lauded in boxing circles as enhancing the standard of SA sport.
GGP announced that Malajika, who holds the IBO title, would face Mexican Yahir Frank for the WBC mandatory spot at Emperors Palace on July 11 after turning down a clash against Nqothole.
Malajika was initially ordered to face Nqothole for the IBF mandatory spot, with the winner getting a shot at the crown to be contested by champion Willibaldo Garcia and Andrew Maloney, who are yet to agree to terms.
His clash against Mthatha’s Nqothole would have triggered their 2022 rematch, which Nqothole won by a unanimous decision when Malajika was still a developing boxer.
It would have also reinforced renewed relations between Nqothole’s manager, Colin Nathan, and GGP boss Rodney Berman.
However, GGP decided to go a different route, drawing criticism from Nqothole, who accused Malajika of running scared owing to the previous loss to him.
Nqothole will now face Englishman Charlie Edwards on a date yet to be decided after the two camps have agreed to terms of the fight.
International boxing analyst Andile Sidinile said GGP’s decision to go the WBC route was geared towards unleashing a two-pronged quest by SA boxers to conquer the world.
“Nqothole contesting an IBF eliminator and Malajika vying for the WBC mandatory is good for SA boxing instead of pitting them against each other, where one would have been eliminated,” he said.
Should both boxers win their respective eliminators, they will challenge for two of the four major belts in the junior bantamweight division, marking a rare occasion of SA fighters vying for world honours in the same weight class.
Besides them, Duncan Village’s Phumelela Cafu also occupies a lofty spot in the division and is considered one of the best boxers after his bold stand when he unified his WBO belt with Bam Rodriguez’s WBC title.
With Rodriguez having hinted at vacating the WBC, WBO and WBA belts which he wrested from Fernando Martinez, Cafu also stands a good chance of getting a title shot.
Sidinile said the scenario boded well for SA boxing in the division, which could see local boxers dominate it.
“GGP needs to be applauded for its decision to go after the WBC to maximise SA boxing opportunities to conquer the world junior bantamweight division.”
Berman described the Malajika-Tahir clash as another feat in the operations of the WBC in SA, with its president, Mauricio Sulaiman, promising to attend for his first visit to the country.
Berman said Sulaiman’s visit would mark a massive nod of respect for the work being done by GGP and a validation of world-class talent emerging in the SA boxing scene.
GGP has already scheduled another WBC-sanctioned bout when Mdantsane’s Siyakholwa Kuse will challenge for the mini-flyweight belt against champion Melvin Jerusalem at Emperors Palace on May 16 in a rematch of their October clash.
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“I know Jerusalem will come strong, and the fact that he was willing to come here proves that he is confident of his chances.
“But I have never fought for the same title twice and not won it, and that will not change.”
Kuse understands the history awaiting him in victory, as he will become the fourth SA boxer to hold the WBC title, often recognised as the most prestigious in boxing.
Only the late Dingaan Thobela won the trinket at home, when he stunned Englishman Glen Cately to take the WBC super middleweight title in 2000, following in the footsteps of Thulani “Sugarboy” Malinga , who achieved the feat in England by claiming the same belt, with an upset win over Nigel Benn four years earlier.
SA boxing stablemates Beaven Sibanda and Mdantsane’s Siyakholwa Kuse will become the first boxers to hold world titles in one division if they succeed in their IBF and WBC title challenges.
Zimbabwean-born SA boxer Sibanda will challenge for the IBF mini-flyweight title against Filipino Pedro Taduran in a venue yet to be confirmed on April 4.
The fight will come a week after his former foe-turned-stablemate at the Brian Mitchell Academy, Kuse, faces another Filipino, Joey Canoy, in a WBC mini-flyweight title eliminator at Emperors Palace.
A win will earn Kuse a rematch against another Filipino, Melvin Jerusalem, who beat him in a close points decision in Manila in October.
While Kuse is favoured to prevail against Canoy, who has never won a bout in three SA visits, Sibanda faces a mammoth but not impossible task against Taduran, who will be vying for the third defence of the crown he won in an upset manner from Japan’s Ginjiro Shigeoka in July 2024.
The Filipino travelled to Japan as the underdog to then-unbeaten Shigeoka to score a stunning ninth-round stoppage to regain the belt he had surrendered to compatriot Rene Mark Cato two years earlier.
So stunning was his victory over Shigeoka that the Japanese camp lured Taduran back to Japan with a lucrative offer for a rematch 10 months later.
Shigeoka not only lost but also suffered tragic consequences when he was rushed to hospital in a coma, which ended his career.
Though a Zimbabwean native, Sibanda carries SA boxing hopes to return the IBF belt to the country.
The country first claimed the IBF mini-flyweight belt in stunning circumstances when an unknown Gqeberha-born East London boxer, Zolani Petelo, travelled to Thailand to dethrone long-standing champion Ratanapol Sor Vorapin with a four-round stoppage to cause the World Upset of the Year.
After five title defences, Petelo vacated the belt to move up to junior flyweight to lose to Mexican great Ricardo Lopez in a WBC title challenge.
The belt returned to the country when Mdantsane’s Nkosinathi Joyi dethroned another Mexican, Raul Garcia, in 2010 before surrendering to Garcia’s compatriot, Mario Rodriguez, in 2012.
Seven years later, DeeJay Kriel briefly returned the belt to SA after stopping Carlos Licona but vacated it without a defence to move up a division.
With Sibanda standing on the verge of a historic achievement, his promoter Rodney Berman toasted the moment befalling his two boxers.
‘This is an extraordinary start to 2026 for SA boxing and Golden Gloves Promotions (GGP),” he said.
“GGP has long been the heartbeat of SA boxing, but this flurry of opportunities signals something bigger.”
Interestingly, Petelo was under the GGP fold when he made five title defences, with the late Mzi Mnguni handling training duties.
Should Sibanda and Kuse win, it would be the first time two SA boxers own two major titles in the same division.
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Kuse will join Kevin Lerena , who holds the WBC bridgerweight belt, as the only SA boxers to hold a major world title.
The tournament will also see Mdantsane’s Thobela Nyanda defending her SA mini-flyweight title against Tyla Promnick.
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