By Ron Jackson

At a media day at the Smith’s gym in the Cedar Square Centre in Fourways, Sandton, Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves Promotions announced that South African welterweight champion Thulani Mbenge would be meeting Diego Gabriel Chaves for the vacant IBO welterweight title on Saturday June 23 at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park.

This is a great opportunity for the 25-year-old Mbenge 13-0; 10 who was an outstanding amateur and won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth games in Scotland.

Mbenge from the Eastern Cape but now fighting out of the Smith gym won the South African welterweight title in April 2017 with a seventh round stoppage against Shaun Ness and has made a successful defence against Mziwoxolo Ndwayana. In his most recent fight in March this year he captured the vacant WBC International welterweight title with a points win over Diego Cruz.

It is on the cards that he faces a tough assignment against the 32-year-old Chaves 26-3-1; 22 from Buenos Aires, Argentina and has been fighting as a pro since July 2008.

His only losses have come against top fighters like Keith Thurman (20-0) and Brandon Rios 31-2-1 both world champions and in his most recent fight in December 2017 he was stopped by Jamal James (21-1).

The IBO who list 100 fighters in each division have rated Mbenge at number twenty nine and Chaves at number twenty seven.

As both fighters have high percentage knockout ratio’s this could be a cracker.

OTHER FIGHTS ON THE BILL

South Africa’s Thabiso Mchunu who is a high ranking fighter meets Ricards Bolotniks of Latvia in a ten round cruiserweight fight and Deejay Kriel defends his WBC International minimumweight title against Toto Landero.

Also on the bill is an interesting match-up with the promising Rowan Campbell in against Malkhaz Sujashvili in a scheduled eight round cruiserweight bout.