Rodney Berman has confirmed that Xolisani “Nomeva” Ndongeni will be shipped Stateside for trip number two early next year.
This follows his comfortable defeat of Juan Garcia Mendez in California a fortnight ago. The South African made a favourable impression, mixing up his game and seeing off a stern challenge from the Mexican, who had top trainer Joel Diaz in his corner.
“He never hurt me, but he never stopped punching either,” said Ndongeni, who revelled in his first trip to the United States. “I loved the experience.”
Despite moving to 22-0 and preserving his number two ranking in the WBA, Ndongeni acknowledges he still has much to learn, not least from the Americans themselves, who tend to work harder than local boxers.
“The aim was to get people talking, and that was achieved,” said Berman. “He’s now been pencilled in for an early-year fight date on Shobox in February or March. There’s a big future predicted.”
