Adrian Curiel and Sivenati Nonzinga had a press conference before their February 16th rematch at Auditorio Guerraguezza in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico. Photo: Melina Pisano/Matchroom.
Sivenati Nontinga recovered from his first professional loss with a knockout win in the 10th round at Auditorio Guerraguezza in Oaxaca, Mexico, on Friday, to reclaim the IBF junior flyweight title, following his secret rematch loss to Adrian Kriel.
Nontzinga, who lives in Leeston, South Africa, improved to 13 wins, 1 loss, and 9 KOs.
The match between Kriel and Nonchinga was a showdown between top 10 junior flyweights. Kriel and Nontzinga were rated No. 2 and No. 5, respectively, by The Ring.
Kriel had a strong start, outboxing Nontzinga from the beginning. Kriel landed an uppercut when both men were in close range.
Nonchinga continued to fight on the inside despite Kriel’s efforts. By the middle of the fight, Kriel had Nontinga against the ropes, but Nontinga fought back with a flurry of punches.
Incredible display of power and accuracy by Nontshinga!! 💥⚡️#kurielnonsinga | stay alive https://t.co/FoiaUucI53 pic.twitter.com/A6wb8h5Omn
Referee Mark Kalooi deducted a point from Nontsinga in the seventh round for leading with his head, but Nontsinga remained close despite the deduction. In the eighth round, Nontzinga surprised Curiel with a combination to the head and continued to connect with body shots, leading to a decline in Curiel’s punch output.
In the tenth round, Nontzinga nearly dropped Curiel with a combination, and despite Curiel’s attempts to fight back, Nontzinga’s flurry of punches led to the referee stopping the fight 44 seconds into the round.
The win comes after Kriel scored a one-punch knockout of Nontzinga in their previous encounter more than three months ago.
Nontzinga, promoted by Eddie Hearn and coached by Colin Nathan, said, “I cried when I lost the title, but I was able to get the rematch. I’ve been training hard in the gym for this moment. He’s a good boxer, but I’ve faced opponents better than him.”
Nontzinga defeated Hector Flores in a thrilling split decision in September 2022 to win the vacant IBF title and successfully defended the IBF title by defeating Reggie Suganobu by unanimous decision on July 2.
Kriel, who lives in Mexico City, fell to 24-5, 1 loss, and 5 KOs.
In another fight, former WBA featherweight titleholder Mauricio Lara fought Daniel Lugo to a majority draw. One judge scored the bout 96-95 for Lugo, and the other two judges scored it 95-95.
Lara and Lugo exchange blows in a shocking showdown ⚡https://t.co/FoiaUucI53 #Kuriel Nonsinga 2 pic.twitter.com/p6EfsT87p1— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) February 17, 2024
Lara, who lives in Mexico City, hasn’t fought since losing the WBA featherweight title to Lee Wood on May 27.
Lugo, who lives in Hermosillo, Mexico, fell to 27 wins, 2 losses, and 18 KOs, and his winning streak ended at three.
In the junior featherweight division, Arturo Cárdenas of Sawayo de Morelos, Mexico, defeated Ernesto Garcia Flores by unanimous decision (11-4, 10 KOs). The scores were 98-91, 98-91, and 100-88 for Cardenas, improving to 13-0-1 with 8 KOs.
Garcia was in the fight from the start, fighting on the front foot and finding success on the inside, temporarily damaging Cardenas in the third round. Cardenas’ more accurate punches and attacks to the body weakened Garcia, and he was dropped with a combination to the head late in the seventh round. Cardenas outboxed Garcia in the final round to secure the victory.
In the opening bout, featherweight Sergio Chirino (22-1, 13 KOs from neighboring Santa Lucia del Camino) defeated Dennis Contreras en route to a second-round knockout victory. Contreras has lost his last four fights, dropping his record to 24-14-1 with 22 knockouts.
Francisco A. Salazar has been writing for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper.
