IBF Approves Lerato Dlamini-Arnold Khegai in July 13 Featherweight Eliminator
May 14, 2024 • 3:26 PM ET
The IBF has authorized placement of its featherweight eliminator for July 13 in Johannesburg, South Africa, meaning second-ranked Lerato Dlamini (20-2, 11 KOs) will enjoy home cooking for his bout against third-ranked Arnold Khegai (21-1-1, 13 KOs), a Los Angeles-based Ukrainian.
As reported previously, TGB Promotions submitted a top purse bid of $71,000 for the bout, meaning South Africa’s Dlamini will earn $53,250 and Top Rank-promoted Khegai will collect $17,750.
The winner will not only be poised to meet IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) of Mexico, but also could be elevated to champion should Lopez opt to move up a division.
While Dlamini and Khegai’s earnings are sparse for now, the featherweight division has taken on increased significance amid speculation that unbeaten four-division champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) of Japan is considering a move up in weight. Inoue now stands as the sport’s pound-for-pound king and undisputed junior featherweight champion.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
