Siyakholwa Kuse: Boxing Career and Notable Fights
Siyakholwa Kuse is a South African minimumweight boxer from Mdantsane. He regained the South African title on July 2, 2023, when he defeated Bangile Nyangani by unanimous decision.
Siyakholwa Kuse’s boxing career
Five months later, on December 3, 2023, Kuse stopped Halid Kalama in the eighth round to win the African Boxing Union (ABU) minimumweight title. He later vacated both the South African and ABU belts after beating Beaven Sibanda in December 2024 for the WBC Silver title.
Kuse challenged WBC champion Melvin Jerusalem in October 2025 and lost by unanimous decision. He won the rematch on May 16, 2026, also by unanimous decision, to become WBC minimumweight world champion. SABC reported that the victory made him the first boxer from South Africa’s Eastern Cape to win a WBC world title.
Further career results
Kuse entered the rematch as a twenty-two-year-old southpaw, with the ring nickname “One Way.” The WBC’s official preview recorded nine wins, three defeats and one draw before the fight. Jerusalem, an orthodox boxer from the Philippines, was defending a championship he had won from Yudai Shigeoka. Their first meeting in Manila had gone the full twelve rounds, with Jerusalem winning unanimously. The return took place at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, bringing Kuse’s second opportunity to South Africa. He used his southpaw positioning, combinations and lateral movement to build his challenge. Jerusalem scored an eleventh-round knockdown, but Kuse recovered and completed the contest. The decision reversed the outcome of their first meeting and changed the championship’s ownership. After the victory, Kuse’s record stood at ten wins, three defeats and one draw, with four knockouts. The WBC’s October 2026 rankings continued to list him as its world strawweight champion.
The championship rematch produced scorecards of 116–111, 116–112 and 115–112 for Kuse. All three judges therefore favored the South African after twelve rounds, despite the late knockdown, giving him his first full WBC world championship.
Sources
- Sowetan: Kuse regains the South African title from Nyangani
- Ink Sport: Kuse wins the WBC Silver belt and vacates the SA and ABU titles
- SABC News: Kuse crowned WBC champion
- World Boxing Council: Siyakholwa Kuse profile
Additional sources: https://wbcboxing.com/en/wbc-special-preview-melvin-jerusalem-vs-siyakholwa-kuse-ii/; https://wbcboxing.com/en/siyakholwa-kuse-makes-history-in-south-africa-by-dethroning-melvin-jerusalem-and-being-crowned-wbc-world-champion/; https://wbcboxing.com/en/ratings/male/strawweight/
