Johannesburg, South Africa (May 30, 2009) – Behind on all scorecards at the beginning of the 12th and final round, YONNHY PEREZ pulled out all stops last night, in his International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title elimination bout, and landed a huge left that sent two-time world champion challenger Silence Mabuza to the canvas. Buzzed and on uneasy legs Mabuza (22-3, 18 KOs), from South Africa, barely beat the count. Perez proceeded to apply the finishing touches to his masterpiece, pressuring and landing huge unanswered shots, leaving no option for referee Kenny Chevalier to stop the fight with 1:06 left in the last stanza. Perez joins two-division world champion Rafael Marquez as the only men to deal a professional defeat to Mabuza.
With the victory, Perez (19-0, 14 KOs), from Colombia, becomes the IBF’s No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger to the winner of the bout between IBF bantamweight champion Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko and World Super Flyweight Champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan. The Agbeko-Darchinyan bantamweight title fight will be televised live from Sunrise, Florida, Saturday, July 11, on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing.
“My corner told me I was losing. I knew I had to throw decisive shots and try to knock him out,” said Perez after the fight. “I countered him and hit him right on the button, it was not a lucky shot. He was in his hometown and we battled hard, Mabuza is a lion, but I knew some close rounds were going to go his way. I’m ready for the big challenge now.”
Perez is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions