BRAVE CF Bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele defended his decision to seek other opportunities instead of immediately facing former 135-pound king Jose Torres in an immediate trilogy fight.
The two athletes first met in August last year, when Torres walked away victorious in their vacant Bantamweight title fight at BRAVE CF 73 before Ndebele avenged his loss at BRAVE CF 80 in December.
After initially warming up to the idea of a trilogy fight, Ndebele heard the news of Sambo world champion and former Flyweight Velimurad Alkhasov making a permanent move up to Bantamweight.
He welcomed the move and shared his excitement at the prospect of testing himself against one of the best lighter-weight fighters in the world.
That change of heart from the champion bothered Torres, who lashed out at Nkosi, accusing him of ‘’ducking’’.
‘’All I know is Nkosi’s already tried to duck me," said USA's Torres.
"I gave him the rematch when I shouldn't have and then he beats me and says he does not want a rematch.
"A fighter cannot just win and walk away like that. No matter what, I’m going for that trilogy fight next,” said Torres during an interview on his social media profile.
After learning of Torres’ dissatisfaction, Ndebele took to social media to share his thoughts on his rival’s stance.
“Guys, imagine we get to a point where a fighter gets into the cage, loses the first round, loses the second round, and then quits in the third round, knowing that he will get a rematch for that fight,” said Ndebele subtly referring to Torres.
“So you can quit, and then get a rematch? Naa, I don’t think it’s ever possible that we can ever get there in our sport.
"If we get there in our sport, it means we are definitely doomed, right?
"If it were a referee’s stoppage or a close decision, it’s understandable, but quitting and then expecting a rematch? How? You certainly can’t expect a rematch,” concluded Ndebele.
Ndebele understands that an eventual third fight with Torres will take place, but, for now, he prefers to ‘’grow and fight other guys’’ before making history as part of the first trilogy in BRAVE CF history.
The first fight between the two athletes was a close encounter, with Torres being on the right side of a controversial split decision as many pundits and fans believed it to have been Ndebele’s fight.
In the much-anticipated re-run, Ndebele ensured that he left no space for judges to get involved and no room for doubt that he was worthy of the golden BRAVE CF strap.
The South African produced a dominating display of striking for which the former champion had no answers.
In one of the most shocking endings to a fight in BRAVE CF history, Torres signaled to the referee that he wanted no part in the barrage of strikes Ndebele threw at him for little over 10 minutes.
It was the night of a new dawn in Isa Town, Bahrain, as Ndebele - a young man who grew up on the rough streets of Diepsloot, South Africa - had made history, becoming the first-ever South African BRAVE CF champion.
BRAVE CF has yet to commit to the next step for the Bantamweight division, which has been enhanced by the additions of Alkhasov and the signing of Tajik superstar Khurshed Nazarov.
IOL Sport