Sivenathi Nontshinga (born 3 December 1998) is a South African

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. He is the current IBF light-flyweight world champion, having held the belt since September 2022. He has previously held the IBF International light-flyweight title from 2019 to 2022. Also a former African light-flyweight champion, he is ranked as the world's sixth-best active light-flyweight by

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and the seventh-best by the IBF.

Early life

Nontshinga was raised in Newlands, a "chicken farm community" located at the entrance to Mdantsane township in Eastern Cape. His father, Thembani Gopheni, is his trainer and his handler.

Professional boxing career

Early career

Nontshinga made his professional debut on 30 July 2017 at the age of 18, defeating Sandile Wessels in a third-round finish in

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

. After four stoppages in his first four fights, he was soon recognized as a promising teen sensation in South Africa. In only his fifth pro fight, he defeated Tisetso Modisadife for the vacant African light-flyweight title. On 7 April 2019, he scored a first-round knockout over Adam Yahaya to win the vacant IBF International light-flyweight title in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, S ...

. In his first title defense, Nontshinga defeated compatriot Siyabonga Siyo, a fighter he idolised growing up. He finished Siyo with a barrage of blows in the ninth round to make it eighth stoppage wins in eighth fights. He retained his belt again on 8 March 2020 by defeating Ivan Soriano, ranked number 5 by the IBF, at the Orient Theatre in East London. Nontshinga suffered a swollen left eye early, but after knocking him down at the end of the fourth round, he dropped the veteran for good in the fifth with a right cross. After more than a year without a fight due to the

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, Nontshinga defeated Filipino prospect

Christian Araneta Christian Aniadas Araneta (born 16 March 1995) is a Filipino professional boxer. Boxing career Araneta made his professional debut against Garry Rojo on 7 September 2013. He won the fight by a third-round knockout. Araneta amassed a 13–0 reco ...

in an IBF title eliminator in Port Elizabeth on 24 April 2021. Although he was knocked down in the 12th round, he was favored unanimously on the judges' scorecards (115–112, 114–113, 114–113).

IBF light flyweight champion

Nontshinga vs. Flores

Nontshinga faced the undefeated Hector Flores for the vacant IBF

light flyweight Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing. Professional boxing The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920, ...

title on 3 September 2022, following a seventeen-month absence from the sport, at the Centro de Usos Múltiples in

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the ...

, Mexico and was as such his first fight outside of his native South Africa. The bout was scheduled for the undercard of the

Juan Francisco Estrada Juan Francisco Estrada Romero (born April 14, 1990) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a two-weight world champion, having held ''The Ring'' super flyweight title since 2019. He previously held the WBA (Unified) and WBO flyweight titles ...

and Argi Cortes

super flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council respond ...

title bout. Nontshinga won the fight by split decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 116–111 and 114–113 in his favor, while the third judge scored it 115–112 for Flores. Nontshinga scored the sole knockdown of the fight in the second round, as he floored his opponent with a right hook which looped around the guard. The newly crowned Nontshinga signed a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing four days after capturing the vacant belt.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nontshinga, Sivenathi 1998 births Living people South African male boxers Sportspeople from the Eastern Cape People from Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality World light-flyweight boxing champions African Boxing Union champions International Boxing Federation champions