Above: Michael Zerafa will be the lesser-known of the two Australians in action on March 30 in Las Vegas, but he’ll have an opportunity to make a statement. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

By Anthony Cocks

Tim Tszyu and Michael Zerafa share the stage but not the spotlight

Domestic rivals Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) and Michael Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs) will be in the same ring on the same night for the very first time at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 30, but it it won’t be against each other. WBO junior middleweight titleholder Tszyu will face Sebastian Fundora 20-1-1 (13 KOs) with the vacant WBC belt also on the line, while Zerafa will challenge 40-year-old WBA middleweight titleholder Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs).

Both Aussies will have their hands full. In Zerafa’s case, he is being trained by multi-division titleholder and Filipino legend Nonito Donaire to prepare him for Lara’s tricky southpaw style.

“[Lara is] a guy with great boxing IQ who, at his peak, was a mover and never really engaged in wars. I feel like he will still have all that. And he’s fresh,” the 31-year-old Zerafa said to Fox Sports Australia.

“He is not a beat-up, broken-down 40-year-old. I’ve been tracking him for a while, watching what he’s up to, and he’s a guy who is always in the gym, always sparring, always working. And he’s confident. I cannot wait.”

Around the World in 60 Seconds

Aussies are popping up around the world like mushrooms in March.

Australia’s best heavyweight, Justis Huni (9-0, 4 KOs), took the show on the road again when he battled determined South African Kevin “The KO Kid” Lerena (30-3, 14 KOs) over 10 spirited rounds at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the March 8 undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou clash. Huni outpointed Lerena, best-known for dropping Daniel Dubois three times in the opening round of their wild brawl in December 2022, by scores of 98-92 and 96-94 (twice) but the 24-year-old up-and-comer had to survive being severely wobbled in the final round.

Justis Huni (left) survived a scare to outpoint Kevin Lerena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Robinson/ Matchroom Boxing via Getty Images)

Junior featherweight Sam “The Ghost” Goodman (18-0, 8 KOs) defended his No. 4 Ring ranking with a fourth-round stoppage of fellow Aussie Mark “Magic Man” Schleibs (13-3, 9 KOs) at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, New South Wales, on March 13. There was no love lost in this one after Goodman slapped Schleibs in the face at the kickoff press conference and labeled his opponent an “attention whore.” 

Local favorite Wade “The Gunnedah Gunslinger” Ryan (22-11-1, 8 KOs) traveled to Japan to face junior middleweight Takeshi Inoue (20-2-3, 12 KOs) at the famed Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on March 18. Ryan, a 34-year-old southpaw, has continued to improve throughout his career and was coming off a wide points victory over the heavily favored Sergei Vorobev (20-2, 14 KOs) in October. An upset against Inoue wouldn’t have surprised, but the fight unfortunately ended in a majority draw — the second draw in Inoue’s last three fights.

Paulo Aokuso  (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Light heavyweight Paulo “Sweet P” Aokuso (6-0, 3 KOs) kicks off his 2024 campaign when he takes on Emmanuel Danso (35-7, 29 KOs) at the JBS Basketball Arena in Ipswich, Queensland, on March 23. The classy Aokuso, 26, should have far too much in terms of variety and skill for the Ghanaian veteran, who has lost every time he has stepped up in level of competition (and every time he has fought outside of Ghana). Expect the local southpaw to add knockout loss number seven to Danso’s record.

Junior lightweight contender Liam “Mr. Damage” Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) returns to the lion’s den when he clashes with former two-weight titleholder and Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on March 29. The fight will take place at the same venue where Wilson had his heart broken in February last year, when his lone world title shot to date was ended in the ninth round by Emanuel Navarrete. Valdez looks like he has lost a step of late while Wilson has looked more workmanlike than explosive in his last two outings. Valdez will open as the favorite, but Wilson will have his opportunities.

In an intriguing junior lightweight bout, former WBO 130-pound titleholder Jamel Herring (24-4, 12 KOs) will travel to Adelaide in South Australia to face Jackson Jon England (15-3, 8 KOs) at 36ers Arena on April 3. At 38, American southpaw Herring is three years removed from the world championship run that ended by 10th-round stoppage when he met Shakur Stevenson in October 2021. The 26-year-old England is fresh off a competitive loss to Liam Wilson in December and will be looking for a breakthrough win against Herring, who will have boxed just one round in almost two years when they meet.

By Yuriko Miyata

The Kokugikan in Ryogoku, Tokyo, is a sumo-wrestling arena that hosted the Olympic boxing tournament of the 2020 Tokyo Games, but due to the Pandemic, it did so without spectators.

However, on February 24, some 8,500 boxing fans gathered at the storied venue for a major Teiken/Amazon Prime promotion topped by three world title bouts, two of which were for major bantamweight belts that Naoya Inoue vacated when he invaded the 122-pound division last year.

Although The Monster is no longer the undisputed bantamweight champ, Japan remains the center stage of business for the 118-pound division. 

Takuma Inoue walks to the ring followed by his brother Naoya. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

Naoya’s younger brother Takuma Inoue (19-1, 5 KOs) made a great statement in the main event of the February 24 card as he finished former IBF 115-pound beltholder Jerwin Ancajas (34-4-2, 23 KOs) with a perfect right hand to the body at 0:44 in the ninth round to defend his WBA bantamweight title for the first time. Takuma looked sharp as he worked inside and attacked the body en route to only his fifth KO against the most respected opponent of his pro career. 

“I was kind of scared until the last minutes of the fight,” a still-emotional Inoue said during the post-fight press conference held the next morning. “No matter how hard I’d trained and prepared, this outcome surpassed my imagination. The body work was what I had trained to do, but I did not expect that I could knock him out that way. I would rate it the best performance ever in my life. 

“Of course, there were some things to work on when I reviewed it twice. But I am happy to see all the positive comments in reports and on social media – and getting this reaction to what I  accomplished, as opposed to being compared to what my brother has accomplished, as usual. I will keep putting on great shows.” 

Inoue defended his title with a ninth-round knockout of Jerwin Ancajas. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

Many view Takuma’s stoppage of Ancajas as a breakthrough in his boxing career. His manager, Hideyuki Ohashi, made it clear that Takuma’s next opponent will be the WBA’s mandatory challenger, Sho Ishida, and it was recently announced that the fight will take place on the undercard of his brother’s undisputed junior featherweight showdown with Luis Nery at the Tokyo Dome on May 6.

Despite taking on a rugged defending world titleholder in his 118-pound debut, Junto Nakatani (27-0, 20 KOs) had no problem stopping WBC bantamweight beltholder Alexandro Santiago (28-4-5, 14 KOs) at 1:12 of the sixth round of the co-main event.

The rangy southpaw took advantage of his reach and five-inch height advantage, seizing instant control with right jabs to keep the champion at bay. Nakatani changed gears in the sixth round by piling on one-two combinations. He caught and dropped Santiago with a “blind” left hand, and it was not long before the proud Mexican’s corner surrendered when they saw him on the canvas again. 

Nakatani used his rangy jab effectively against Santiago. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

“It is kind of special for me to have the WBC’s bantamweight belt I saw Shinsuke Yamanaka defend against Malcolm Tunacao as a kid in this same Kokugikan,” said Nakatani, now a three-division titleholder and the latest Japanese fighter to hold the WBC bantamweight title, a proud lineage that includes Fighting Harada, Yasuei Yakushiji, Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, Hozumi Hasegawa, Yamanaka and Naoya Inoue. 

Nakatani appreciates bantamweight for more than its history. After boiling his body down to flyweight and junior bantamweight, the extra pounds brought him a lot of benefit. 

“Making weight was easy this time,” Nakatani said. “I felt strong. My power was there. I felt more speed than before.”

The third undefeated Japanese boxer in history to win world titles in three divisions said that he was watching Inoue vs. Ancajas on a monitor in his dressing room after his fight, knowing the winner would be a possible future opponent. 

“I’m very likely to fight him (Takuma Inoue),” Nakatani, The Ring’s No. 1-rated bantamweight, said. “I’ll fight anybody put in front of me. As it’s still February, I wish to fight four times this year.”

The world’s top bantamweights will remain busy in Japan this year. 

IBF titleholder Emmanuel Rodriguez (22-2, 13 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3-rated bantamweight, was just scheduled to face his mandatory challenger, Ryosuke Nishida (8-0, 1 KO), No. 9 in The Ring’s rankings, in Osaka on May 4. The skilled Puerto Rican, whose only KO loss was to Naoya Inoue in Glasgow five years ago, regained the IBF strap via a unanimous decision over Melving Lopez last year. His first defense of his second reign is against Nishida, the lanky southpaw who drew big attention with an upset win over former WBC flyweight titleholder Daigo Higa in 2021. 

And recently, little giant Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez told members of press row at a 360 Promotions card in Santa Ynez, California, that he plans to make his bantamweight debut in Japan this year. The future hall of famer won his first world title in Yokohama in 2008. It was the WBA 105-pound belt. Gonzalez went on to win world titles at 108, 112 and 115 pounds. His goal now is to win a title at 118 pounds, his fifth and final weight class. 

“It will be my final fight,” the shy and humble Nicaraguan said. “I want to do that in Japan, my second home.” 

Kosei Tanaka may soon try to emulate Gonzalez by attempting to invade a fifth weight class, but for now the 28-year-old slugger is content being a four-division world titleholder.

Tanaka once again wears a world title belt after widely outpointing Christian Bacasegua. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs) won the WBO 115-pound title (that  Nakatani vacated) with a unanimous decision over Christian Bacasegua (22-5-2, 9 KOs) in the third title bout held at Kokugikan. The little-known but very durable Mexican beat the count after getting dropped in the eighth round and avoided getting stopped, but Tanaka’s points victory enabled him to win his fourth divisional title faster than any other Japanese boxer in history (in his 21st pro fight). He had hoped to accomplish the feat much earlier, but he was thwarted when he suffered his lone loss to then-WBO 115-pound beltholder Kazuto Ioka in late 2020. 

Tanaka did not hesitate to say that not being a world titleholder was a hard time for him, even though he won four fights during that three-year period. 

“During the three years since I lost to Ioka, I was struggling to rebuild my boxing skill set,” Tanaka said. “I wondered, ‘What’s my own style?’” But all I can say is that I got here now because of that hard time that I had to overcome. And what I am most glad about is that I am not satisfied with this win at all today. 

“My ultimate goal is to get revenge on Ioka. But before that, I would rather fight IBF champion Fernando Martinez to unify titles. That way I could offer Ioka two belts when I ask him for the rematch. That’s the way to show my respect to the one who knocked me out once.”

By Droeks Malan

South African boxing’s fortunes took a turn for the better, and what a turn it was!

First up, it was flyweight veteran, the 38-year-old Jackson Chauke. Fighting in the U.K. in the historic York Hall, he put on a boxing clinic, winning a unanimous 12-round decision over local favorite Kaisy Khademi.

Chauke got off to a good start, shocking Khademi with a left hook towards the end of the opening round. The house fighter went down hard. He rose on unsteady legs, managing to survive until the bell.

That left hook proved to be the story of the fight. 

Khademi turned aggressive and let his hands go in the second round. He had some success with a left hook-left uppercut while Chauke backed off, looking to counter. Another left hook from Chauke found the mark, wobbling Khademi again. Khademi elected to fight back, his greater activity possibly shading the round.

In the third, Chauke varied the left hook to the body and started to find the target with an occasional straight right. When Khademi fought back, he ate a double left hook to the head for his trouble.

This pattern of the fight continued for the next five rounds. Khademi was game, but Chauke landed the more accurate, telling blows while stepping back and blocking most of the return fire. Chauke’s experience was also on display as he made Khademi walk into shots. A right towards the end of the seventh sent Khademi stumbling into the ropes.

Chauke celebrates after hearing the scores. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)

Still, Khademi started the eighth by landing a left hook to the body and a right to the head. Then, Chauke let his own hands go and punished his opponent along the ropes.

To his credit, Khademi had a better ninth, landing a good right followed by an uppercut inside. Chauke, on the other hand, seemed to take a breather, fighting in spots. Khademi continued fighting well in the tenth, throwing combinations and some good right hooks, but the left hook of Chauke kept landing as well.

All hopes for Khademi evaporated in the championship rounds, when Chauke stepped on the gas. By the end of the eleventh, Chauke’s combinations had Khademi on the back foot and swimming against the tide. A Chauke left hook put Khademi on his heels again in the final round. 

Two scores of 117-110 and a third card of 116-112 told the story of the fight. 

It is not easy to come back from a knockout loss, but Sivenathi Nontshinga did just that on February 16 by battering Adrian Curiel to defeat in the tenth round. With the win, Nontshinga (13-1, 10 KOs) avenged his only defeat and regained the IBF 108-pound belt.  

Curiel scored a shocking second-round knockout courtesy of a single overhand right last year in Monte Carlo. For the rematch, Nontshinga had to travel to Oaxaca, Mexico.

This time, Nontshinga fought in a tight, high-guard defense. He wasn’t taking any chances on the outside where he would be vulnerable to the punch that took him out in their initial encounter. Instead, he went straight to the inside and exchanged blows from the opening round.

Curiel was able to land some good shots on Nontshinga’s midsection during the early rounds. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom)

Nontshinga concentrated on the left hook to the body, digging it underneath the elbow of Curiel and coming back with a right hook to the head, possibly shading the first round. The second saw a steady exchange of hooks. Curiel, however, appeared the stronger of the two, constantly backing Nontshinga to the ropes and corners. The Mexican slammed in a thudding double left hook to the body. To make matters worse, Nontshinga started bleeding from the nose, his corner working hard to stifle the blood during the break.

Curiel bent Nontshinga double with another left hook downstairs in the third, followed by a right uppercut to the head. Nontshinga tried to hold as Curiel bullied him on the ropes.

As the rounds went by, although Nontshinga kept landing chopping rights and left hooks, Curiel was the one marching forward, shrugging off everything Nontshinga threw and responding with the harder blows. The strategy of keeping the fight at close quarters, although negating the right from the outside, did not appear to be working as Curiel banked rounds.

Nontshinga had a better round six, landing with more ease when Curiel started squaring up, but his punches did not seem to have any effect.

Things took another wrong turn for the South African in the seventh, when referee Mark Calo-oy, without warning, deducted a point from Nontshinga for allegedly using his head.

Nontshinga turned the tide in the eighth round. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom)

Then, suddenly, in the eighth round, the fight took a dramatic turn. Nontshinga put some distance between himself and Curiel in the center of the ring, landing a flush one-two. He started using his jab and moments later rocked Curiel back on his heels with another straight right. Curiel responded by once again bulling Nontshinga to the ropes. This time, however, Nontshinga turned him around sharply, shoe-shining him with a combination. He clipped Curiel with a good right uppercut as he leaned in and smashed him with a left hook as the round ended.

The belt is back on Nontshinga’s waist. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom)

The crowd tried to lift their man in the ninth with chants of “Mexico! Mexico!” He responded by marching forward and letting his hands go, but his zip seemed gone. Nontshinga landed a hard left hook, followed by a right on the button. Two massive left hooks moments later hurt Curiel and forced him to hold on.

Nonsthinga was out for blood in the tenth, when a left hook-right hand combination sent Curiel stumbling into the ropes. A straight right rocked him again, and when a right hook had Curiel hurt on the ropes, Nontshinga let the punches rain. The referee intervened, only to give Curiel a standing eight count. Undeterred, Nonsthinga jumped on him again and simply kept punching. With nothing coming back, the referee had no choice but to save Curiel from himself and called the stoppage at the 0:44 mark.

It was an epic victory for Sivenathi Nontshinga, who proved that he is indeed “The Special One!” He got a hero’s welcome when he returned to South Africa days later, and why not? He provided the boxing world with an early candidate for “Fight of the Year,” as well as “Comeback of the Year.” 

Not bad at all.

Droeks Malan is on Twitter:

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