South African contender Sikho Nqothole understands the importance of Friday’s bout against Charlie Edwards in London.
Nqothole is 21-3 (13 KOs) and has won his last three since a controversial decision loss in Mexico to Rene Calixto.
Now 31, super-flyweight Nqothole said: “I definitely have to win this fight. I don’t have a choice, for my country, for myself, for my family and my team.”
Nqothole is a father of two and it was through family ties that he started boxing in the first instance.
“My cousin’s brother is the one who taught me to box,” he recalled. “I was not a boxer. I was playing golf. But my cousin’s brother took me to boxing and I did not like it. But he forced me to be a boxer and we started travelling and then after that I started liking it, because of the travel.”
His coach thought he had some talent and so he kept an eye on him, too.
“And I put in the craft, and I said, ‘Okay, I’m good at this'.”
Nqothole has been to England before, fighting as an amateur, and he looked up to local boxers who have since retired and also plenty of stars from further afield.
“I like Jorge Linares, Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward, Tank [Davis], Shakur [Stevenson],” he said. “I like the skilled guys so much. I also like [Terence] Crawford. His boxing has got way better. When he was up and coming, he was strong and could punch but he is good on the defence and with sneaky counters. He can box, he can fight, he can adjust. He can do all these things.”
Nqothole will be hoping for a fair shake from the judges at York Hall’s Bethnal Green, something he has not had in two of his three losses.
He disputes the loss in Swaziland to Sabelo Ngebinyana and the one in Mexico to Rene Calixto.
“The first defeat, I believe I did not lose the fight,” he said. “And then, the second defeat okay I believe I lost [stopped by the same opponent] and also the third fight, you can go and watch it, I do not believe I lost the fight. It’s because maybe they wanted my rankings or whatever they planned. I believe I won the fight – even my opponent did say he lost the fight.”
The first two defeats came in 2018 and 2019. Nqothole’s 11-1 since, and being looked after by influential South African trainer-manager Colin Nathan.
Nqothole has also done a little homework on his opponent, former WBC flyweight champion Edwards.
“I haven’t watched much but I watched what I had to see,” Nqothole said.
“There’s nothing special. There’s nothing big. It’s the same for everyone. I just think about what I should do to him, and what I should not do.”
