By Mesuli Zifo

THE camp of former world champion Nkosinathi “Mabhere” Joyi is blaming everyone but the boxer for his first round knock out defeat by Filipino Rey Loreto in Mdantsane, East London, South Africa earlier this year.

Joyi was destroyed in less than two minutes after being bundled to the canvas twice forcing South African referee Tony Nyangiwe to stop the fight after the second knockdown without bothering to count.

The stoppage which came after Loreto had dropped Joyi on the ropes with an uppercut following a knockdown from a left hook, was greeted with silence by the scores of fans which came to support Joyi as the fight was held just a few metres away from his NU 1 Mdantsane home.

Loreto had previously shocked Joyi with a third round annihilation in Monte Carlo, Monaco in February last year when he came as an underdog of 13 losses with just 18 wins.

He had been chosen just an opponent to help Joyi market himself to the international boxing scene as part of Rodney Berman's tournaments at the exotic venue.

Before the fight Joyi, now 31, had been offered a shot at the then IBF junior flyweight champion John Riel Casmero of Philippines but Berman suggested that the former top rated world mini-flyweight champion use Loreto as a stepping stone to bigger things.

Eyebrows were raised before the fight with the IBO coming under attack for approving a boxer with such a poor fight record as Loreto but the Filipino journeyman used the occasion to launch himself as boxing Cinderella Man when he destroyed Joyi in emphatic fashion.

Still not satisfied by the manner in which his charge lost the fight rather blaming unfitness instead of crediting Loreto's power, Joyi's manager Siphatho Handi convinced the Filipino to travel to South Africa for the fight which was postponed twice until the likeable boxer arrived despite having just recovered from a stomach surgery.

But this time Loreto took even less time to all but end Joyi's career dropping him twice to end the fight in 106 seconds.

Handi who had reportedly paid Loreto $ 42,000 to come to South Africa vented his anger at Nyangiwe accusing him of stopping the fight prematurely.

“I have lodged a complaint to the IBO about Nyangiwe's handling of the fight because I still do not understand why he stopped it,”he fumed as he swore at the referee and IBO African president Len Hunt.

Handi accused Nyangiwe of having a vendetta against Joyi having been one of two judges who scored his bout with compatriot Hekkie Budler against him when a Germany judge had Joyi winning by four points in their IBO mini-flyweight title clash in June 2013.

“He hates Joyi and I told him as such. And Len is responsible for assigning Nyangiwe to handle the fight.”

However none of Joyi's supporters complained about the stoppage, instead they sympathised with the vanquished fighter for a defeat which critics said has spelt the end of his career.

Handi insisted that he would help Joyi get back to his feet by giving him another bout around September before he is satisfied that he is finished.

“You cannot judge Joyi's future from that fight because in essence there was never a fight,”he said.

The defeat marked the fourth time Joyi had lost in his last six bouts.

And with reports of ill-discipline including drinking binge Handi will need a miracle to resurrect the boxer.