South African knockout specialist Macbute Sinyabe received a taste of his own medicine when he was stopped in the 10th round of his IBF junior-featherweight title eliminator against Thailand's Thangthong Kiattaweesuk on Friday.
“The Macman just never got going,” Sinyabe's trainer, Nick Durandt, said from Nakhonratchisima, Thailand, where the fight took place.
“We knew we were up for a tough challenge against a skillful, unbeaten boxer, but everything was falling nicely into place for us before the bout.
“We were really confident, but it was just one of those days when nothing seemed to go right for Sinyabe.”
The writing was on the wall when the power-punching Eastern Cape fighter was floored as early as the second round.
It was a setback from which he never recovered, with Sinyabe back on the canvas in the sixth round following a flurry of blows from the busy, buzzing Kiattaweesuk.
The Thailand boxer's southpaw style seemed to frustrate Sinyabe, with the coup de grace coming in the 10th round with a third and conclusive knockdown.
It was Sinyabe's first defeat in five years, with his record now consisting of 18 victories and two defeats. All 20 of his bouts have ended in knockouts.
Kiattaweesak, who already holds the IBF and WBC international bantamweight titles, has now won all of his 25 fights.
Ironically, had Sinyabe won the bout, he would have been in line for a title shot against Jeffrey Mathabula, another South African who is trained by Durandt.
Now the inviting prospect for Durandt of two of his boxers fighting for the IBF junior featherweight title in an all-SA encounter has gone up in smoke, with Kiattaweesuk set to face Mathabula in a mandatory defence.
“We'll try to get this encounter to take place in South Africa,” said BSP promoter Branco Milenkovic, “but it is too early for a final decision.” – Sapa