“At last a great weekend for South African sport and boxing,” said Branco Sports Promotions impressario Branco Milenkovic after Moruti Mthalane and Takalane Ndlovu retained their prestigious IBF titles in testing encounters in Italy and Mexico within the space of 24 hours.

After a pall of gloom had descended on South African sport after the recent succession of major international rugby, soccer and cricket setbacks, the enthusiasm of the ebullient Milenkovic was hardly out of place.

An aggressive, relentless Mthalane retained his IBF flyweight title on a TKO decision after Andrea Sarritzu's handlers threw in the towel in the seventh round of an increasingly one-sided bout in Cagliari, Italy on Friday night.

Then, in Palenque de la Ferla in Mexico on Saturday night, Takalane Ndlovu out-pointed the durable local favourite, Giovanni Caro, in 12 gruelling rounds to retain the IBF junior featherweight crown.

In the process, it confirmed the impressive form demonstrated by Ndlovu while overcoming Canada's Steve Molitor in annexing the title earlier in the year with one of the best displays of boxing by a South African in 2011.

“Moruti sized up his cagey opponent in the first three rounds,” said trainer Nick Durandt from Italy shortly after the Mthalane contingent returned to South Africa on Saturday night.

“Then he took control in the fourth round as we had planned after watching videos of the European champion's earlier bouts.”

In the process, Mthalane became the first South African boxer in almost a decade to defend a version of one of the world's more recognised titles, on three successive occasions, after beating Mexico's Julio Cesar Miranda for the IBF crown in 2009, and warding off challenges from Zolani Tete and Johnriel Casimero with fifth-round stoppages.

Mthalane's record now stands at 28 wins, with 19 decisions inside the distance and only two defeats.

Branco Sports Promotions' Milenkovic, under whose banner Mthalane is contracted to fight, said on Sunday that “exciting plans were already in the pipeline for the two victorious boxer's future – both in South Africa and overseas.

“The IBF is one of the most prestigious organisations in international boxing.”

“We are looking at the possibility of unification bouts to confirm Ring Magazine's ranking of Mthalane and Ndlovu among the leading fighters in their divisions in the world.

“We'll discuss what course to follow with trainers Durandt (Mthalane) and Gert Strydom (Ndlovu) on Monday and Tuesday,” said Milenkovic, “with the different options taken into account.

“But already there is no shortage of offer. And fighting overseas might be the best way for Mthalane and Ndlovu to enhance their reputations and earn the kind of purses their records warrant.” – Sapa

Source: Ghanan Business