Sivenathi Nontshinga (13-1, 10 KOs) defeated IBF light flyweight champion Adrian Curiel (24-5-1, 5 KOs) by a tenth-round knockout on Friday night at the Auditorium Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Late in the ninth round, Nontshinga hurt Curiel with a left to the head and had him close to being stopped in a follow-up barrage as the round ended. In the round, Nontshinga continued to pummel the hurt Curiel.
Photo: Pizano / Matchroom Boxing
The referee stopped the action to give Curiel a standing eight. Moments later, Nontshinga finished off Curiel with a flurry of heavy shots, causing the referee to wave it off.
The 25-year-old Nontshinga avenged his second-round knockout loss against Curiel from last November and recaptured his IBF light flyweight title in the process.
Nontshinga used pressure to wear down the 25-year and stop Curiel. In the fifth round, Nontshinga was docked a point for a head-butt.
Explosive Action From the Start
The fast pace that Nontshinga set from the start of the fight put a lot of pressure on Curiel to keep up with him, which he couldn’t do. Early on, Curiel looked as powerful as he had in their first fight last November in Monte Carlo. In that fight, Curiel stopped Nontshinga in the second round.
Curiel frequently trapped Nontshinga against the ropes and pummeled him with heavy shots. It looked like Curiel was heading for another early knockout, but Nontshinga proved to have better punch resistance than he had in their first contest.
Tables Turn in the Late Rounds
Nontshinga took Curiel’s best shots and turned the tables on him in the later rounds, hurting him in the ninth round. A follow-up barrage had Curiel looking badly hurt.
You can argue that the referee showed great patience for not stopping thie contest because Curiel was in bad shape, taking too much punishment. Given the location of the fight, it’s not surprising that the match was allowed to continue.
In the tenth round, Nontshinga immediately jumped on Curiel, hitting him with nonstop shots, resulting in the referee stepping in and stopping the contest to give him a TKO win. With the victory, Nontshinga recaptured his title and gave him redemption.
Lara – Lugo Battle to a Draw
In undercard action, super featherweight Mauricio Lara (26-3-2, 19 KOs) and Daniel Lugo (27-2-1, 18 KO) fought to a ten-round draw. The scores were 96-64 Lugo, 95-95, 95-95. Both fighters were hurt in the contest.
