1 month ago
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Lerato Dlamini has been given blessings to succeed in his quest to earn the rights to challenge International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight champion Luis Lopez Vargas.
Dlamini's blessings came from his parents when he visited home two weeks ago in Welkom, Free State.
For Dlamini to challenge the Mexican, who boasts three successful defences of the IBF belt he won in 2022, the No 1 contender must eliminate Tomoki Kameda in the race for that position by defeating the No 2 contender in the official IBF featherweight elimination fight in Japan on August 24.
“I explained to my parents how important that fight is for me,” said Dlamini whose career is guided in Johannesburg by successful trainer Colin Nathan.
“They know how hard I work in the gym, so they then said they are confident that I will come out victorious. Those words gave me comfort and added more fuel to my tank. It's now or never.
“I've [been] a professional boxer for nine years. I have worked hard to be in this position. Come what may, even if it means dying inside the ring, actually that will be a good way for me to go out.”
Dlamini, Nathan, Hayden Jones who owns SA BoxingTalk, an online boxing channel, and cut man Bernie Pailman will leave for Japan on August 15.
Dlamini says he will repeat what he did to Kameda and his fans in 2022. “I broke their hearts,” said Dlamini who defeated the former two-weight world champion on points over 12 rounds.
The defeat cost Kameda what would have been a straightaway shot at the WBA featherweight title. Kameda, 33, has already tasted jam, winning the World Boxing Organisation bantamweight and World Boxing Council junior featherweight belts.
Dlamini has not challenged for a world title from one of the four-most most respected boxing sanctioning bodies – WBC, WBA,IBF and WBO. He blew his chance of adding his name to the long list of South Africans who won IBO belts when he lost to James Dickens in Liverpool in 2022.
Dlamini has previously held the IBF Youth, WBC International and silver, and IBF Africa featherweight belts. Being the No 1 contender means that he is at the doorstep of challenging for the belt, he just needs to cement his top position by defeating Kameda at Yamato Arena, Suita, Osaka.
Defeat will see Kameda replace Dlamini at the top, and putting himself in line to be the mandatory challenger for Lopez.
Dlamini began training for Kameda in July with Nathan's prospects – Ishmaeel Kadri and Katlego Khanyisa – helping their gym mate with sparring.
The sports nutritionist student describes himself as his own dietician. “I know what to eat and what to gain from it,” he chuckles.
