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Sikho “Sequence” Nqothole intends to continue where his countryman, Jackson “M3″ Chauke, left off when he won the IBO flyweight world title at York Hall, England, in January 2024.
Rated No 5 by the IBF, Nqothole will take on sixth-rated Charlie Edwards in their official IBF junior bantamweight title eliminator on May 29.
The winner will occupy the vacant No 1 spot and be in line to challenge IBF world champ Willibaldo Garcia “Buscara” Perez of Mexico.
Nqothole jets off to the UK tomorrow with trainers Phumzile Matyhila and Bernie Pailman.
This is a career-advancing match for 31-year-old Nqothole from Mthatha, who has been a committed professional since 2017.
“I am going there with one thing on my mind — victory.”
Asked if facing Edwards at home won’t be a mammoth task, Nqothole said: “I am going there with one thing on my mind — victory.”
Edwards is the older brother of Sunny “Showtime” Edwards, who dethroned Moruti “Baby Face” Mthalane as the IBF flyweight world champ at the same venue in April 2021.
The fight next week will be Nqothole’s second outside of SA.
He lost to Rene “El Indio” Calixto in Mexico in May 2024. Nqothole has a fair idea of what to expect from Edwards, having watched some of his fights on YouTube.
“He can box, [and] I am going there to fight,” said Nqothole, who has chalked up 19 knockouts in 21 wins against three losses and has held the IBO All-Africa and WBO global belts.
Edwards, the 33-year-old former WBC flyweight holder from London, has 20 victories from 23 fights and has registered seven knockouts.
Their match will form part of a tournament that will be streamed live internationally by DAZN.
Sowetan
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