MATHEBULA GETS ANOTHER CRACK AT IBF TITLE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 15 Oct 2013
Jeffrey "The Mongoose" Mathebula, the former IBF and WBC International world champion, will get another crack at the IBF junior-featherweight throne on December 21 in Alicante, Spain.
Well known promoter Branco Milenkovic who has promoted Mathebula for seven years, informed the Manila Standard that Mathebula who lost his WBO and IBF super bantamweight titles to Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire on July 7, 2012, said his fighter will challenge IBF junior-featherweight champion Kiko "Le Sensacion" Martinez in a fight that will be Mathebula's eighth to be sanctioned by the New Jersey-based sanctioning body.
Milenkovic said "Loyalty pays."
South Africa?s Sowetan newspaper noted that Milenkovic was ?the only local promoter to have controlled five IBF world champions at the same time, Milenkovic, who has been involved in 64 IBF championships in the past six years, described the upcoming bout between Mathebula and Martinez as a perfect match, based on their fight records.
Milenkovic said ?They both have 33 fights, of which they have lost four. "The only difference is that Jeffrey has two draws."
The 34 year old Mathebula, a former Olympian with 27 wins and six clean knockouts from 14 short-route wins while the 27 year old Martinez, a three-time European champion, also has six KOs in 21 stoppage victories from 29 wins.
Mathebula has fought in two unification bouts. In April 2009 he faced Celestino Caballero for the IBF and WBA titles in Panama in which Mathebula lost by a questionable split decision. He fought Donaire at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles in August 2012 and fought gallantly despite having his jaw broken and lost a unanimous twelve round decision.
Photo: Mathebula (L) and Melinkovic.
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