Xolisani "Nomeva" Ndongeni failed to give credence to the view that he's SA boxing's biggest prospect as he struggled to beat Jasper "Jazzman" Seroka for the IBO lightweight title at East London's Selborne Tennis Park on Saturday.

Seroka, the SA junior lightweight holder, looked to be winning a nervy fight until he began spending more and more time against the ropes and stopped fighting back in the ninth round, and referee Lulama Mtya stopped the fight.

Seroka and trainer Manny Fernandes complained bitterly about the decision after the fight, but the truth is Mtya was spot on given the evidence in front of him.

Ndongeni, who also holds the IBO International and WBA Pan African lightweight title, improved his short-route ratio to 10 and retained his unblemished record of 20 wins while Seroka suffered his fifth loss in 31 bouts.

Ndongeni's timing was poor and he lacked the basics like fighting behind a jab. Distressed trainer Colin Nathan read the riot act to Ndongeni going for the ninth round and it seemed to wake him up.

In the main bout of Sijuta Promotions' bill on Saturday, Simpiwe Vetyeka knocked Colombian Rodolfo Puente out in the fourth round of their featherweight bout, while Mzuvukile Magwaca stopped Argentinian Raul Eliseo Medina in the second round.

Earlier, Siyabonga Siyo got up from the canvas in the seventh round to outpoint his Filipino foe Ronie Tanallon over 10 rounds in the junior flyweight class.

On Friday, Nkululeko Mhlongo won the Interim WBA Pan African junior middleweight belt against Christiano N'dombassy from Angola in Cape Town while Mfundo Gwayana captured the WBF Intercontinental junior flyweight belt after defeating Dalisizwe Komani by unanimous points.

lMabhuti Sinyabi ended the reign of Oscar Chauke as the national featherweight champion via a split points decision at Orient Theatre on Friday night while Eleider Alvarez from Colombia outpointed Isaac Chilemba in the WBC cruiserweight eliminator in Canada.