BOXING NEWS - One of South Africa’s most outstanding fighters in recent years, Moruti Mthalane, makes the second defence of his IBF flyweight belt, in his second reign as IBF champion, against Japan’s Masayuki Kuroda at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on May 13.
The 36-year-old Mthalane fights out of the Colin Nathan gym and has been fighting as a pro for more than 18 years.
He won the IBF flyweight belt for the first time in November 2009 in a clash with Julio Cesar Miranda and made four successful defences of the belt before relinquishing it.
One of his defences was a fifth-round technical knockout win over Zolani Tete, who would go on to win the WBO bantamweight belt and now meets Nonito Donaire in the semifinal of the lucrative World Boxing Super Series on April 27 at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Los Angeles.
Mthalane has a record of 37-2; 25, with his only losses coming against Nkqubela Gwazela in September 2004 and Nonito Donaire in November 2008.
The 32-year-old Kuroda (30-7-3; 16) is a seasoned 14-year pro and is ranked at No 4 by the IBF (No 1 and 2 are not rated), so he is considered the second-best flyweight according to the IBF rankings.
