The little men will again take charge, this time on May 20 when world title holders Hekkie Budler and Simpiwe Konkco share top billing at Emperors Palace.
Outlining his plans yesterday, promoter Rodney Berman said that both fighters, who happen to be stablemates, were firmly at the forefront of SA boxing and deserved to be showcased together on a major tournament.
Konkco, the IBO minimumweight champion, will square off against the man he is just one place ahead of in the Boxrec rankings – Melvin Jerusalem of the Philippines.
A fortnight ago Jerusalem fought unbeaten WBC champion Chayaphon Moonsri (aka Wanheng Menayothin), losing for the first time after pushing the Thai hard for 12 rounds.
“I watched Jerusalem on YouTube; the kid can fight,” enthused Berman. He is ranked nine by the WBC.
Budler’s opponent will be announced in due course.
Having earlier floated the possibility of Ryno Liebenberg having a crack at SA super-middleweight champion Lee Dyer, Berman has had a rethink and is instead looking for Dyer to defend against Alfonso Tissen, who has won nine on the bounce (plus one draw) since losing his debut in 2013.
