Sivenathi Nontshinga Rallies Late as Lara Struggles with Lugo
Turning the tables, Sivenathi “Special One” Nontshinga (13-1, 10 KOs) scored a come-from-behind tenth-round stoppage in a rematch over Adrian Curiel (24-5-1, 5 KOs) to regain the IBF junior flyweight title in front of a stunned crowd at the Oaxaca, Mexico.
For the first seven rounds, it appeared that Curiel was on the way to a clear victory. He mauled and bullied Nontshinga, who strangely elected to stand at close range and fight instead of using his reach to box. But in the eighth, the power of Special One started to show. The fighter from South Africa finally created distance and hurt Curiel with left hooks. Nontshinga wobbled Curiel again in the ninth.
In the opening thirty seconds of round ten, a right hand from Nontshinga had the champion badly hurt. From there on, Special One swarmed with a series of punches until the referee had no recourse but to wave the fight over.
This fight will go down as one of the more dramatic fights of the year. After the win, Nontshinga announced that he wanted to become the first fighter from his home country of South Africa to become an undisputed champion.
DANIEL LUGO GIVES MAURICIO LARA ALL THAT HE CAN HANDLE
In what was a nip-and-tuck battle at the Auditorium Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, Mexico former WBA featherweight champion Mauricio “ Bronco” Lara (26-3-2, 19 KOs) and Daniel Lugo (27-2-1, 18 KOs) fought to a majority decision draw (96-95 Lugo, 95-95, 95-95) in a ten-round contest junior lightweight contest.
Usually, Lara is super-aggressive from the opening bell. But Bronco was more patient in this fight, electing to box behind the left jab from a distance. Lugo was having a fair level of success landing with counter punch combos to the head and body of the former world champion.
The middle rounds saw Lugo make his move. He pushed the action, hurting Lara in rounds seven and eight. Lara rallied in the last two rounds. However, Lugo kept throwing leather until the final bell.
In truth, Lara was fortunate to escape with a draw. During the post-fight interview, Bronco admitted he felt rusty fighting off a nine-month layoff and said that he would like to have a rematch with Lugo.
