BN Fight Facts: Sivenathi Nontshinga avenges shock loss to stop Adrian Curiel in rematch

THE RESULT:ย 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:ย 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:ย Nontshinga adds another win on the board and takes his record to 13-1 (10). Curielโ€™s three-year unbeaten run comes to an end and after 30 fights his slate reads 24-5-1 (5).


TALKING POINT:ย 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 challengerโ€™s conditioning who waited patiently for an opening.


QUOTABLE:ย โ€œIโ€™ve been working so hard ever since I lost the title,โ€ Nontshinga said during a post-fight interview with DAZN. โ€œOver Christmas I had no time for it because I trained so hard. Heโ€™s [Curiel] a good boxer but Iโ€™ve fought much better boxers than him, but I had to go back to the drawing board. Iโ€™ll get back to the gym because my dream is to become the first undisputed world champion from South Africa.โ€


WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?ย 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’.

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