Sivenathi Nontshinga built on a second-round knockdown to defeat Hector Flores in Mexico and secure the vacant IBF junior flyweight title.
Flores and his South African rival were fighting on the Estrada vs. Cortes undercard shown live on DAZN and produced one of the very best fights of the year.
The Mexican had the better championship stages, which saw one judge award him the win 115-112, but the remaining two scored it 114-113 116-111 in the visitor’s favour in Hermosillo, Sonora.
The 23-year-old started brightly, and a big right-hander sent Flores down as he looked to assert control, but by the third round, the Mexican was back fighting hard.
The two fighters continued to exchange blows at an impressive pace, and in the fifth round, Nontshinga rallied again, and a clash of heads left Flores bleeding.
It was heavy going again in the second as Nontshinga took some punishment on his body, and the next few rounds remained tight.
The fighters fought all the way until the end of the 12th, with Nontshinga visibly spattered with his opponent’s blood, and he emerged as South Africa’s only current world champion.