Joyi predicts easy night as he challenges Budler for the IBO title
NKOSINATHI Joyi reckoned he struck the first psychological blow against Hekkie Budler at the pre-fight medical on Tuesday, as the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) underdog champion displayed what seemed to be a flash of anger.Joyi, speaking in his Xhosa mother tongue because he does not feel comfortable talking in English in public, predicted an easy night come their clash for Budler’s IBO straw-weight crown at Emperors Palace on Saturday night."I’m giving Hekkie up to six rounds," said Joyi, a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion and the favourite in the eyes of many pundits."If it goes beyond six, he must consider himself the luckiest person on earth."Budler, the champion, seemed to snap, appearing irritated when it came to his turn to talk, switching to Afrikaans and complaining that his opponent had chosen to speak a language he could not understand."He seemed emotional," Joyi’s manager, Siphato Handi, said later.Even Budler’s own trainer, Colin Nathan, h...
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