Lwandile Sityatha Retains Title, Chases Unification Clash

by Mesuli Zifo

IBO junior bantamweight champion Lwandile Sityatha is confident of landing a unification bout against the winner of the WBO title clash between Argentinian Omar Narvaez and Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue.

Sityatha said this after retaining his crown by a split decision against Filipino southpaw Michael Desmarinas in East London, South Africa at the weekend.

The fight was nearly cancelled at the last minute when Sityatha vomited and was suffering from diarrhoea in the dressing room prompting doctors to attend to him.

Making regular visits to the toilet, the 26-year-old appeared haggard due to massive hydration leaving his manager and promoter Ayanda Matiti contemplating to pull the plug on the fight.

However Sityatha's condition was kept a secrete from the Filipino camp to avoid Desmarinas to capitalise on the weak champion if the fight did take place.

The SA boxer finally recovered and made his way into the ring and when the fight began he went for the body in a strategy meant to sap the energy of his foe.

But Desmarinas dished out as much as he took with his own bodywork forcing Siyatha on the retreat.

The fight featured heavy exchanges of leather with Sityatha getting an upper hand until he began to tire in the championships rounds allowing the visitor to assume control of proceedings.

Sityatha was overheard telling his handlers in between rounds that he was feeling hot and his hands could not move.

With concern written all over Matiti's face, Sityatha was advised not to engage fearing for Desmarinas's body blows to further weaken him.

However the champion was often lured into the trenches where Desmarinas's swings wobbled him.

The Filipino had a big round in the last innings driving Sityatha's to the back foot with looping left hooks and forcing him to hold.

But the bell came to the local's rescue leaving his handlers to breath a collective sigh of relief.

The outcome was a split decision with one judge seeing Desmarinas a winner by 118-110 but was overruled by his colleagues who turned in 16-112 scores.

After the fight Matiti said he would still pursue a unification clash for his charge.

“I was targeting Narvaez because of his age but I see that he will be fighting in Japan,” he said.

“We will have to negotiate with the winner.”

Sityatha who has three losses and a draw in 22 fights is an ex-con that spent two years in prison for armed robbery. However he was found to have been framed although he was never released until he had completed his two-year sentence. The 22-year-old Filipino dropped to two losses in 20 bouts.

On the undercard Xolani Mcotheli produced a flawless performance to outsmart Filipino Marbon Bodiongan to pick up the IBO Intercontinental junior lightweight belt.

Scores were 120-108, 119-109 and 119-111.

The win advanced Mcotheli's fight record to 11 wins and a single defeat while the Filipino dropped to two defeats and two draws in 15 bouts