ONE of South Africa's most talented boxers, Nkosinathi "Mabhere" Joyi, will make a voluntary defence away from home next month.

Joyi, who is held in high regard in world boxing circles, will put his IBF minimumweight crown on the line when he trades blows with Mexican boxer Mario Rodriguez on August 18.

This is going to be the first time in his professional boxing career that Joyi will be fighting overseas and his trainer Boyboy Mpulampula has declared that they are not perturbed about facing Rodriguez in his backyard.

"We have been training very hard for this fight and the contracts have already been signed. Nkosinathi is going to fight against Rodriguez in Mexico," Mpulampula said.

So serious are Mpulampula and Joyi about notching up another victory that they have already secured a DVD of Rodriguez's fights. And Mpulampula said they would go to Mexico knowing what to expect from Joyi's rival.

"We have watched a video of Rodriguez's fights. He is a typical Mexican boxer, who comes forward," said Mpulampula.

"We understand what we will come up against once we are in Mexico and we are not scared at all. I think this is the best time to prove to overseas people just how good a boxer Nkosinathi is."

This is the second time that the former national and IBO champion will defend his crown, which he claimed when he outpointed Raul Garcia at the East London International Convention Centre in March 2010.

In his first defence, held at the Orient Theatre in East London on March 30, Joyi scored a points victory over Japanese boxer Katsunari Takayama.

The Mdantsane-born southpaw injured his right hand in the third round of the Takayama fight, but he soldiered on until the end.

This will be 23-year-old Rodriguez's second shot at getting a world title.

He suffered a unanimous decision loss to Donnie Nietes when they fought for the World Boxing Organisation title in August 2010.