Siya Kuse jetted out to the Philippines this week with the hopes of a nation spurring him on.
The exciting South African will battle WBC minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem for the world title in Manila next Wednesday.
The main bout is expected to be around noon SA time, and it will also be streamed live on the iME platform: https://tinyurl.com/iMEStreamThrillainManila
All that is required is to visit the URL, register and pay a once-off fee of R50 to stream the tournament live.
Kuse was seen off at the airport by several fans and his stable, among them contender (and former opponent) Beaven Sibanda, plus trainer Manny Fernandes and Brian Mitchell, who will be working his corner as chief second, and no doubt unofficially as a motivator too.
Kuse, the WBC Silver champion, heads the major “Thriller in Manila” card, scheduled to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the epic Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier heavyweight championship fight.
Some still regard it as the single greatest event in sporting history.
Ahead of his own departure this weekend, promoter Rodney Berman was quietly confident. “We are under no illusions – this is a hard fight. But South African boxers like Kuse have unbelievable grit. Fighting to put food on the table adds another dimension. Kuse is in for the fight of his life, but he has the ability to shock Jerusalem in his back yard.”
