WANTED MAN

Plenty of fight offers for triumphant boxer Siyo

Opportunities have opened up for Duncan Village boxer Luzuko Siyo after his stunning victory over Sanele Magwaza in New Brighton, Gqeberha, at the weekend.

Siyo dropped Magwaza five times on his way to a 10thround stoppage win to lift the WBF Intercontinental bantamweight crown and breathe life into his flagging career.

No sooner had his hand been raised in victory than offers started pouring in, including the possible return to Gqeberha to defend his newly won crown in September.

The 30-year-old former SA junior-flyweight champion is embracing this late surge in his career, which so far promised a lot but delivered little.

“Luzuko is mature now and you could see the way he handled himself in the fight against Magwaza,” the boxer’s trainer, his father Ben Mtyaliselo, said.

“For him to perform the way he did after being away in the ring underlined his newfound confidence.

“He is eager to build on this win and go for bigger things.”

One such big fight Siyo is chasing is the title shot against SA bantamweight champion Ronald Malindi, which has been in the pipeline for a while.

The fight was scheduled to take place only for it to be floored by Covid-19.

Mtyaliselo said Siyo was ready to finally get Malindi in the ring.

“That is the fight Luzuko wants and he has been itching for it for a while now.”

With the win over Magwaza, who was rated seventh before the fight, Siyo is expected to vault into the title mix and even qualify for a mandatory spot.

Rofhiwa Nemushungwe is rated first in the division, but whether he is a mandatory contender is up to Boxing SA sanctioning committee to decide.

If the Malindi fight does not come to fruition, plans are already afoot for Siyo to defend the WBF B-grade belt against Michael Daries.