SA boxer Kaine “K9” Fourie wins IBF continental junior lightweight

Fourie floored Siseko Makeleni from Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape three times in the opening round in a fight that took place at the Box Camp in Booysens in Johannesburg on Saturday night. This was Fourie’s straight eighth win, and he now believes that the world is his oyster at the international level.

"Yeah, no, so we didn't know it's gonna be that easy, we trained for 10 rounds, to go the rounds but at the end of the day I just landed and caught him with some good shots and it just finished the work. I was basically like 30th in the world, now I'll probably go up a bit, so it's gonna open some doors for me. Maybe defend it like once or twice and then go for an international title and then for the World one," Fourie said.

"It's the training, we've been training for like three years now, we didn't train for only three months for the camp. We'd be doing it for years and I just listen to the coach and everything just comes naturally."

This was Fourie’s eighth victory in 10 bouts since he turned professional four years ago, and all his victories came via stoppages.

Fourie’s was watched by Africa and South Africa’s only credible world champion, the two-time IBF junior-flyweight world champion Sivenathi Nontshinga and Lerato Dlamini, who will soon be fighting for an IBF featherweight title eliminator.

He says Nontshinga, who is also managed by No Doubt Management like him, is his inspiration.

"Definitely, like I said to Sive in the ring as well, he's motivating me. He doesn't know it but we are looking up to them as well. So, they represent South Africa and we also want to represent South Africa. For him as well to be the two-time World Champion and Lerato is gonna go and get the title as well, IBF, that's the route we wanna go in and that's the route we wanna take," he added.

Fourie caused a major upset in December last year when he stopped former SA junior lightweight champion Lusanda “The Mexican” Komanisi in the fourth round.