Japan seems to have become the second home for Free Stater Lerato “Lights Out” Dlamini, who jets off on Wednesday night to that part of the world.
Based in Johannesburg, Dlamini has a date with Mikito Nakano, and their 10-round fight next Wednesday will take place at the Koruaken Hall in Tokyo.
It’s a must-win fight for both fighters.
Dlamini will leave with trainer-manager Colin “Nomakanjani” Nathan, assistant trainer Sean Ness, and cut man Bernie Pailman.
At 32, Dlamini is rated No 5 by the IBF and 12 by the WBO.
On the other hand, 30-year-old Nakano occupies the No 15 spot in the IBF ratings, 10th by the WBC, and fourth by the WBO.
Their ratings could be affected by a loss, and especially Dlamini, who is on the doorstep of challenging IBF featherweight Angel Leo from the US.
Dlamini promised to do whatever it takes to win this fight against his foe, a left-handed hard puncher, who boasts 13 knockouts in 14 wins against a loss.
“I can’t lose; otherwise I will forfeit my top ratings and the world title aspiration will be shattered,” said Dlamini who has 21 wins — 12 by knockout — and three losses.
“I have been hard in the gym since December because there was a promise of a fight in April, which did not materialise.
“But I stayed in the gym. The benefit of me being in the gym, with or without a fight, is that I have no issue with my weight,” Dlamini said.
“My body is solid, so I was able to train specifically for the strategy, unlike having to prepare for my opponent and still worry about making weight.”
Having welcomed a baby boy three weeks ago had fuelled the fire in his tank.
“It has motivated me to do better in life,” said Dlamini, who does not think ring rust will be a factor because he’s been assisting his gym mate at Nathan’s HotBox Gym in Balfour Park, Johannesburg.
He last fought in May last year at Carnival City, where he chalked up a win against Sukpasried Ponphitak from the Philippines.
“I had three different sparring partners with different styles,” he said. “I am ready for Nakano; to tell you the truth, I can’t sleep at night; I visualise the fight.”
Japanese revenge
Dlamini left Japanese fans disappointed in his first visit there in 2023 by defeating local hero Tomoki Kameda on points, in their non-title fight in October.
Unable to accept that loss, the Japanese lured him with a good purse for a rematch, which Dlamini lost in August 2024.
A former WBO bantamweight world champion, Kameda is the younger brother of Koki and Daiki Kameda.
Koki won three world titles in three weight divisions — the WBA junior flyweight, WBC flyweight and WBA bantamweight titles.
Daiki won world titles in two different weight classes — the WBA flyweight and the IBF junior bantamweight
In 2013, Daiki and his two brothers became the first trio of brothers to hold world boxing titles simultaneously.
Nakano’s last ring appearance was his loss to Ra’eese Aleem on November 24 at Toyota Arena, Tokyo, Japan.
Sowetan
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