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Sonjica fight undecided

UNDECIDED: Thabo Sonjica's fight for the vacant IBO junior lightweight title hangs by a thread Photo: MICHAEL PINYANA
UNDECIDED: Thabo Sonjica's fight for the vacant IBO junior lightweight title hangs by a thread Photo: MICHAEL PINYANA

THE management of former SA and IBO super-bantamweight champion Thabo Sonjica can go ahead and organise his fight for the vacant IBO junior lightweight title if they want - but Golden Gloves will no longer be part of that.

Promoter Rodney Berman had announced that he would assist Sonjica's promoter Mzimasi Mnguni to stage that fight in East London next month, but the Duncan Village fighter has since defected from Mnguni's Eyethu Gym and joined Mlandeli Thengimfene's rival All Winners Boxing Club.

Sonjica's opportunity to fight for the IBO strap came after Puerto Rico's Jose Pedraza was stripped.

Berman, who has a cordial working relationship with Mnguni, swiftly spoke to the sanctioning committee of the IBO on behalf on Sonjica, who was then sanctioned for the vacant title.

Sonjica forfeited his IBO super-bantamweight belt on the scales after failing to make the weight for his defence against Roli Gasca from the Philippines at Emperors Palace on August 9. He outpointed Gasca but the title remained vacant.

Said Berman yesterday: "Sonjica and his new management can go ahead with it [the bout]. The title is vacant. I was going to do it for Mzimasi, who is like family to me."

Thengimfene said Sonjica told him that he decided to leave Mnguni's stable because "there is no one to take care of him since Bra Mzi is not well [after suffering a stroke]. He said Bra Mzi no longer has authority in the gym."

Thengimfene is still a greenhorn in the management of fighters but already his stable boasts credible fighters like SA, IBO International and WBA Pan African flyweight champion Makazole "Professor" Tete and his brother, IBF junior-bantamweight champion Zolani "Last Born" Tete.

Sonjica joining Thengimfene's stable has opened the door for promoter Branco Milenkovic, who already promotes Zolani Tete, to do the same for the Duncan Village fighter.

"Now that Rodney says he will have nothing to do with Sonjica, this opens doors for me to negotiate with Branco," confirmed Thengimfene.

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