By Rey Danseco
 
UNBEATEN Filipino champion Gabriel Pumar will return to South Africa later month to defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) International minimumweight title.

World Boxing Council (WBC) International championship chairman Mauro Betti has approved the request of Serbian-South African promoter Branco Milenkovic to set undefeated Zukisani Kwayiba as the first challenger of Pumar on September 29 at the Nasrec Indoor Arena in Johannesburg.

“We have no objections to support a defense of our current WBC International Straw-weight champion Gabriel Pumar against South African young unbeaten prospect Kwayiba Zukisani,”Betti told Milenkovic in an email yesterday with copy furnished to this writer  and Pumar's manager Rex "Wakee" Salud in Cebu province, Philippines.

Kwayiba is a second choice challenger of Milenkovic for Pumar after he failed to sign the undefeated South African minimumweight champion Nkosinathi Joyi for the fight despite long negotiations since March.

The 5-foot-4 boxer from Lapu-Lapu City captured the International title with impressive knockout win in round 7 over erstwhile champion Tshepo Lefele last March 31 at Wembley Arena in Johannesburg where another Filipino, Benedict Suico, who was sick during the fight, fell short in his spirited fight against WBC International flyweight champ Monelisi Myekeni.

Betti, an Italian, has no second though of giving the green light after Milenkovic asked his approval for the Pumar-Kwayiba confrontation because the two boxers are almost even in age, experience and fight records.

Pumar is one-year older at 21 years old compared to Kwayiba. They are both undefeated in nine starts, but the Filipino champion has recorded one more knockout with 6 stoppages compared with 5 of the South African in their separate two-year careers.

Pumar and Kwayiba are both former amateur boxers in their respective countries before campaigning in paid ranks since 2004.

One of Pumar’s last impressive campaigns in amateur stage was in 2003 National Youth Open Amateur Boxing Championships in Tagbilaran City.

Kwayiba, who idolizes former WBC featherweight king Naseem Hamed, was a gold medalist in the South African national amateur junior championships in 2001. Kwayiba turned pro after he failed to reach his ambition of representing his country in the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Pumar is ranked No. 12 under WBC minimumweight champ Eagle Kyowa.