By Mesuli Zifo
SOUTH African junior featherweight champion Macbute Sinyabi has been crying out to be matched against an opponent from abroad to advance his quest for a world title challenge.
But his promoters have been reluctant to throw him into the deep end especially in a super talented junior featherweight division where he is even down the pecking order in his home country.
In South Africa, Takalani Ndlovu who holds the IBF title after dethroning Canadian Steve Molitor, is considered the best junior featherweight with Jeffrey Mathebula who lost controversially to Ndlovu listed second although there is a strong argument that Mathebula is actually on par with the IBF champion especially after his controversial title challenge loss to Panamanian Celestine Caballero for WBA and IBF titles back in April 2009. Caballero easily destroyed Molitor in four rounds in a WBA/IBF unification clash
Then there is former WBF champion Oscar Chauke who is slated to face Mathebula in a IBF eliminator for the second spot on June 11, followed by IBO champion Tshifhiwa Munyai with the fifth spot occupied by former IBO bantamweight title challenger Simpiwe Vetyeka whose single loss was when he dropped a points verdict to Japanese erstwhile WBC bantamweight king Hozumi Hasegawa.
Sinyabi is considered the sixth best fighter in his country in the division partly because of his tendency to pick himself off the floor against unheralded challengers in almost all his national title defences.
But the 24-year-old is blessed with something his compatriots are lacking and that is a massive drawing power due to his charisma and crippling power in both hands.
Sinyabi has never heard the sound of the final bell in all his 20 bouts where he has scored 19 knockouts most of which he achieved after kissing the canvas himself.
His single loss was also a chilling knockout defeat in two rounds by Bongani Mahlangu who could not parlay his stunning victory into bigger things.
Sinyabi’s promoter Branco Milenkovic who handles Ndlovu, Mathebula and Chauke says the chinny national champion is a risky investment in a division that boasts abundance of talent in the world.
Because of this Milenkovic has never featured Sinyabi is his own tournaments, opting to lease out the champion to other promoters such as Eyethu Promotion where Sinyabi fought most of his early bouts including his national title winning first round knockout of Tshepo Mofokeng back in March 2008 before a bitter court battle soured the relationship.
Despite losing the court case, Eyethu Promotion boss Mzi Mnguni has continued to feature the flamboyant youngster in his tournaments probably because of his drawing power.
Mnguni will grant Sinyabi his wish when he matches him against late replacement Giovanni Andrade of Brazil at East London’s Orient Theatre, South Africa on Sunday.
The 41-year-old perennial loser is replacing Argentinean Ceferino Dario Labarda who withdrew from the fight because of visa issues.
Andrade is one of those fighters who are used to pad the records of upcoming youngsters and he has been diligently serving that purpose to prospects such as Juan Manuel Lopez, Caballero, Ndlovu, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Martin Honorio, Rey Bautista and others and will therefore be made for order for Sinyabi.
The Brazilian has lost 12 times in 73 bouts.
“I would have loved to face Labarda as he has a better fight record than this guy but I guess I will have to make do with what is available,” said Sinyabi.