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Ndou and Vetyeka return to the BSP stable

REUNITED: Branco Sports Production boss Branco Milenkovic, right, welcomes IBO bantamweight champion Simphiwe Vetyeka, left, manager Butityi Konki and Phillip Ndou to his stable at the SABC headquarters in Auckland Park yesterday. Pic: Bafana Mahlangu. 16/09/2009. © Sowetan.
REUNITED: Branco Sports Production boss Branco Milenkovic, right, welcomes IBO bantamweight champion Simphiwe Vetyeka, left, manager Butityi Konki and Phillip Ndou to his stable at the SABC headquarters in Auckland Park yesterday. Pic: Bafana Mahlangu. 16/09/2009. © Sowetan.

PHILLIP "Time Bomb" Ndou and IBO bantamweight champion Simphiwe "V12" Vetyeka have both rejoined the Branco Sports Productions stable of Branco Milenkovic.

PHILLIP "Time Bomb" Ndou and IBO bantamweight champion Simphiwe "V12" Vetyeka have both rejoined the Branco Sports Productions stable of Branco Milenkovic.

The two fighters, their manager Butityi Konki and Milenkovic exchanged vows yesterday at SABC's headquarters in Auckland Park.

They signed Boxing SA's standard two-year and three-fight per year contract. This means that they will fight in bouts organised by Milenkovic only.

Ndou, then trained by Nick Durandt, first joined Milenkovic in 1998 and had 18 fights and won the South African and WBA Inter-Continental featherweight belts. They parted ways in 2000. Ndou and Durandt teamed up with Golden Gloves of Rodney Berman, who guided Ndou to the WBC International, WBU super featherweight and the WBC lightweight title that Ndou lost to Floyd Mayweather in 2003.

Ndou retired in 2004. He came back last year under new trainer Welcome Ncita and manager Konki. Ndou had two fights under Berman, a six rounder he won in five rounds against Richard Drilzane in France as well as the IBO welterweight fight he lost to Lovemore Ndou in August.

Vetyeka, then trained by Durandt, had been under Milenkovic since 2006. Their contract expired last year.

Vetyeka, also under Ncita and Konki, fought in the same bill as the Ndous under Berman. Vetyeka won the IBO belt.

Berman said there was no animosity between him and the two fighters he referred to as great fighters.

"I released them and I wish them the best of luck," he said.

Ndou and Vetyeka's future fights will be under the auspices of the SABC, which Ndou serves as a boxing commentator.

Vetyeka will appear under BSP on November 20 in an international junior featherweight eight rounder while Ndou will be in action on December 11 in the junior welterweight division.

"We will still pursue the WBC bantamweight fight with holder Hozumi Hasegawa who defeated Vetyeka in 2007," Milenkovic said.

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