Former IBF light flyweight champion Sivenathi Nontshinga has vowed to bounce back and become a three-time world champion after losing his title to heavy-handed Japan star Masamichi Yabuki.

The South African was stopped in the ninth round in Tokoname on Saturday and has avenged his only previous loss, to Adrian Curiel.

“You know the vibes. I’ll go back to the drawing board, work hard, stay humble as ever, I’m teachable, down to earth, I’ll never change myself. I’ll never let losses define me,” Nontshinga, who was dropped three times, told SA Boxingtalk.  

“He caught me with a good punch I didn’t see coming. I tried to look at my corner but I couldn’t see anybody. I was just hearing the noise.”

“The best man won,” added the 25-year-old, who is now 13-2 (10 KOs).

“I’ll stay in the gym. I’ll keep working hard. This is just a minor setback, now it’s time for me to become a three-time world champion… This is not a failure, it’s a learning curve. I’ll bounce back once again.

“Everything went how it went. I’m not ashamed of my losses… It’s not the end of the world. I’m still young. I’ll get back on top.”

The South African’s trainer, Colin Nathan, admitted he felt “gutted” in the changing room afterwards.

“Yabuki is very strong,” said the coach. “I felt we were behind, I felt we were coming into the fight but with Kabuki’s pull back power… He’s also very big at 108. We lost to the better guy on the night. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but, unfortunately, we all have to swallow it.

“I was very proud [of Nontshinga]. I could see that first right hand took all the stuffing out of him. It kind of looked and said, ‘Dude, you’ve got to get up’. The fact he got up and showed character, and heart, I’m very proud of. You’ve got to congratulate Yabuki.”