PANTHER IN FOR KILL
Ndlovu gets opportunity to unify IBF and WBO belts
THE prospect of killing two birds with one stone left former world champion Takalani “The Panther” Ndlovu gasping in disbelief when his promoter Branco Milenkovic announced this week that Ndlovu could fight for both the IBF and WBO junior featherweight belts early next year.
That is because Ndlovu was expecting an ordinary boxing match late in the year just to remain active.
The boxer admitted that Milenkovic shocked him when he announced that he could be in line to regain the IBF title and add the WBO strap.
Ndlovu lost his belt to Jeffrey “Mongoose ” Mathebula in a split points decision on March 24. But Ndlovu must first defeat Mexican Alejandro Lopez in their official IBF and WBO eliminator in August.
Mathebula will unify his belt with WBO title-holder Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in Los Angeles on July 7 and the winner will be mandated to defend against the victor of the Ndlovu-Lopez clash. Ndlovu is currently rated No 5 by the IBF, a spot below Lopez.
At a press briefing that Milenkovic had hastily arranged, Ndlovu said: “I accepted the invite to the press conference on Tuesday night because I’m part of his [Branco ’ s] promotion.
“Moruti Mthalane [the current IBF flyweight champion] and his stablemate Zolani Tete were there on my arrival. I took it for granted that Branco was to talk about Mthalane’s upcoming defence but I became suspicious when he insisted that I join them [Mthalane, Tete and Branco] at the main table.”
Indeed, Milenkovic announced that Mthalane will defend against Panamanian Ricardo Nunez and added that Tete will face Argentinian Roberto Sosa in the junior bantamweight IBF title eliminator. Tete was outpointed by Alberto Rosas for the IBF belt last November.
In announcing that Ndlovu will meet Lopez in a title eliminator, Milenkovic revealed that he had convinced the IBF to sanction Ndlovu and Tete when he was in Los Angeles two weeks ago.
Milenkovic ’ s plea was based on the fact that both Ndlovu and Tete lost their fights on close split points decisions.
The announcement of the title elimination bout did not sink in with Ndlovu who just sat tight until Milenkovic asked if he did not wish to say a few words regarding his upcoming big fight.
Ndlovu later told Sunday World that he had accepted the invite to the press conference on Tuesday night simply because he is part of Milenkovic’s promotion.
“To be honest with you I wasn’t expecting to hear such big news.
“I knew deep down in my mind that I needed action but probably a warm-up fight late in the year.
However, he says: “I will use the opportunity to fight to the best of my ability. ”
And that the fight will take place in either South Africa or Mexico doesn’t seem to faze him.
“That doesn’t bother me at all,” says the 34-year-old seasoned campaigner who won the IBO belt in the US in 2005 and defended it there twice in 2006.
Ndlovu was stopped in nine rounds by Steve Molitor for the same IBF belt in Canada in 2007 and also dropped a points decision to the same foe at the same venue in 2010.
But Ndlovu outpointed Mathebula in an IBF title eliminator in Brakpan in September two years back and eventually dethroned Molitor at the Nasrec Arena on March 23 last year.
Ndlovu chalked up his first defence against Giovanni Cairo of Mexico before being ousted by Mathebula.
Ndlovu, who promises to do his best to defeat Lopez and get his chance to become a dual world champion, has held both the South African and WBF belts in the featherweight class as well as the IBO and IBF belts in the junior featherweight class.
Ndlovu is trained by Gert Strydom, while Nick Durandt hones the skills of Mthalane and Tete.
Milenkovic signed Ndlovu three years ago.