Durandt predicts knockout win for Ngabu

Buoyed by the warm welcome he will receive in his first fight at home, Belgium-born Congolese Yves “Smiling Assassin” Ngabu should leave an everlasting impression in Kinshasa where he will put his IBO cruiserweight belt on the line on June 29.

Ngabu will welcome Kevin Martinez, the 24-year-old Mexican who is undefeated after 13 fights. He is rated No 17 by the IBO in the cruiserweight division. Martinez has nine knockouts in 44 rounds and has been a professional boxer since 2021.

The champion is trained in SA by Damien Durandt. Ngabu won the IBO belt on September 9 last year when he dethroned previously undefeated Australian champ Floyd Masson in the 11th round in Australia.

The former European Boxing Union champ had previously been defeated by Lawrence Okolie — the British and Commonwealth champion — who stopped him in the seventh round.

That was Ngabu's first loss after an eight-year winning streak in 20 fights. His second defeat was a controversial split points decision to Evgeny Tishchenko — the 2016 Olympic gold medallist — over 10 rounds.

But Ngabu bounced back and said the IBO belt. He is managed by Tarik Saadi, the French manager and boxing agent, who is in charge of the career of Ngabu's  gym mate and countryman Ilunga Makabu.

All what Durandt knows about Martinez is that he is a southpaw. “We all know that Mexicans are tough by nature and they come to fight; We expect that from Martinez who is fairly tall. But I believe Ngabu is one the best cruiserweights in the world today.”

Pressed to make a prediction, Durandt said: “Ngabu wins by a knockout.” He said the 35-year-old champion has been here for six months. “That tells you how much he wants to keep his belt,” said the successful mentor who added that the upcoming 12-round fight will headline an international tournament to be staged by Luyoyo Promotions and TS Management.

He said the tournament will form part of the weekend of a boxing bonanza in Kinshasa. It all begins on June 28 with the finals of the Makabu Trophy,  a four rounds development programme, which was launched by Makabu in February.

It has nine weight divisions and that includes two weight classes in the women's section. Durandt said Makabu's intention is to identify stars for the future.