Adrian Curiel vs Sivenathi Nontshinga Preview February 16th, 2024
IBF Junior Flyweight Champion Adrian Curiel will be defending his newly-won title for the first time as he takes on Sivenathi Nontshinga of South Africa in the champion’s homeland of Mexico. The 12-rounder this Friday, February 16th can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. This is an instant rematch as Curiel took the title from Nontshinga in November by stopping him in the second round with a perfect overhand right. Nontshinga had won the belt in November, 2022 when he edged Hector Flores by a split decision in Mexico after dropping him in the second round.
**Watch live on DAZN this Friday. Your first month is free.
Curiel vs Nontshinga Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Sivenathi Nontshinga +130
- Adrian Curiel -160
My Pick
The 25-year-old Curiel climbs through the ropes with a mark of 21-4-1 with just 5 Ko’s and has boxed 190 rounds already since making his pro debut in 2016 as a teenager. He reportedly measures 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 66-inch reach and likes to switch between the an orthodox and southpaw stance during most contests. He pulled off a major upset when knocking out Nontshinga as he lacks power as just 20.8 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. However he has halted his last two opponents.
Curiel’s defeats came at the hands of Daniel Valladatres by 10-round unanimous decision in 2018 in a shot at the WBC Youth Silver Light Flyweight Title; a six-round majority decision to Sergio Mejia two fights later in 2019; to Joselito Velazquez by 10-round unanimous decision the same year and to Cristian Gonzalez Hernandez via a 10-round majority decision in 2021. His lone draw was a four-round technical affair with Jose Ramirez Armenta in June of last year.
Nontshinga is also 25 years of age and makes the ring walk with a mark of 12-1 with 9 Ko’s and has boxed 82 rounds since making his pro debut in 2017, also as a teenager. The ex-champ carries quite a bit more power in his fists than Curiel as 75 per cent of his victories of come by stoppage. He’s gone four fights without a knockout though and is 1-3 in that span and last halted an opponent in March, 2020 when he stopped Ivan Soriano in the fifth round.
As a pro, Nontshinga captured the vacant African Light Flyweight Title in 2018 and added the vacant IBF International Light Flyweight Belt a year later. He took the vacant IBF World Title by beating Hector Flores in a slugfest and managed to defend it once against Regie Suganob before getting knocked out by Curiel a few months ago for his lone career loss. He stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 67-inch reach so gives up three inches in height to Curiel but has a slight one-inch edge in reach.
Prediction…
Both boxers are 25 years old and the light-hitting Curiel shocked most experts by stopping Nontshinga in the first meeting. The fight was pretty even up to that point but Curiel timed the right hand perfectly and Nontshinga couldn’t recover. He could have just been caught cold though as the bout lasted just four minutes and nine seconds. However, he went toe-to-toe with Hector Flores to win the title and that could have taken a lot out of him. Curiel likes to come forward and apply pressure and his confidence should be sky high after stopping Nontshinga while Nontshings has great footwork and jab and likes to fight off the back foot. This is a tossup as Nontshinga has the skills and power to regain his belt as long as he makes a few adjustments. However, it’s a boxing match and he’s still going to get hit no matter what tactics he utilizes. I can see this going either way but I’m leaning towards Curiel to beat Nontshinga once again.
Curiel has the tools and confidence to retain his belt.
Play: Curiel -160 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Adrian Curiel betting • Sivenathi Nontshinga betting