Milan Prat and Brandon Thysse will clash for the vacant IBO super-welterweight title

Milan Prat and Brandon Thysse will clash for the vacant IBO super-welterweight title

France's Milan "Natsuko" Prat (30-1, 23 KOs) will lock horns with South African Brandon "Fast Guns" Thysse (20-4-1, 14 KOs) will clash for the vacant IBO world super-welterweight title on October 15 in Paris.

The main event will pit the reigning European super-welterweight champion, Milan Prat, against the current South African super-welterweight titleholder, Brandon Thysse.

Aged 26, Frenchman Prat won his first title in his 12th bout - the French super-welterweight championship. He has also claimed IBF Youth, European Union, WBO Global and the European title twice.

Trained by Bobby Benton in Houston, Texas, Prat only has one loss on his impressive record, which came from German Slawa Spomer in 2023. Spomer also only has one loss on his record - to Xander Zayas. Prat was devastated by the defeat, attributing the 10th round stoppage to "Terrible weight loss in a short time. Too much water cut and not a good rehydration."

Nicknamed "Natsuko", the Parisian has won 10 on the spin since that sole reversal, earning him IBF #9, WBO #10, WBC #14 and IBO #22 world rankings.

Milan has an unwavering belief in himself and aims to face fighters like Erickson Lubin, Keith Thurman, Jaron Ennis, Xander Zayas, Sebastian Fundora and Vergil Ortiz to "test myself against the very best and prove that I belong at the highest level of world boxing."

If he can win the IBO World title, he would certainly possess a big bargain chip to make those kind of fights. But he is up against another hungry fighter on a good run right now.

30 from Gauteng, South Africa, Brandon Thysse scored nine knockouts from his first 10 wins as a pro puncher after turning over in 2015. The first ever title he won in the pro ranks was the IBO All-Africa super-welterweight strap.

His first attempt at the South African national championship ended in a 10th round stoppage defeat, then he saw two more challenges go up in smoke, until, through sheer perseverance, he finally claimed the belt in March this year. Having come agonisingly close in 2022, narrowly losing via split decision to Roarke "Razor" Knapp, the rivals rematched almost four years later, which Thysse won via ninth-round KO, not willing to let the judges decide his fate. That decisive victory completed their trilogy at 2-1 to Thysse.

Trained by Damian Durandt and Andson Kezempe, his promoter Rodney Berman attributes his recent five-fight winning streak down to his maturity as a father and family man, giving him a deeper understanding of what he is fighting for.

Brandon's dad was a South African boxing legend, sadly now passed away, but his son may be able to win the IBO world title in his memory. Andre Thysse challenged for the IBO World super-middleweight title in 2003, but was denied by British boxer Eamon Magee.

Although he was stopped twice in his career, Andre was never knocked down. Sadly, in July 2021, at the young age of 52, Andre Thysse was hospitalised in Germiston, South Africa, after contracting COVID-19 and developing complications including pneumonia during the peak of the global pandemic. The warrior battled the illness for several days before succumbing to its effects in the early hours of 22 July 2021, leaving behind his wife Judith, and three children, including his son Brandon, who vows to now carry the torch for South African boxing, first lit by his cherished father.