By MESULI ZIFO

AFTER missing out on the chance to face IBF champion Evgeny Gradovich three weeks ago, former WBA featherweight champion Simpiwe Vetyeka has decided to take a more winding route back to title contention when he battles Mexican Arturo Santos Reyes at East London's Orient Theatre, South Africa on Friday night.

Vetyeka was promised a shot at Gradovich with the promoter of the Russian champion Bob Arum agreeing to the fight after a meeting with Andile Sidinile who represents the South African boxer.

This after Arum had reneged on promise to get Vetyeka an immediate rematch against Nonito Donaire after the unsatisfactory manner in which he surrendered his WBA crown in their clash in Macau in May.

However Donaire opted to go to unification match against regular champion Nicholas Walters who drilled the Filipino his first stoppage loss when he was halted in ?? rounds two months ago.

With Gradovich also deciding to give Vetyeka the cold shoulder as he opted to defend against Puerto Rican Jayson Velez in their drawn clash, Vetyeka had no option to take any fight that would get him back to the win column.

“We had no choice but to any fight to get back to winning ways otherwise we would have been left out of the featherweight bandwagon,” admitted Sidinile.

Reyes has already arrived in South Africa and does not see himself as a mere opponent to the local boxer.

“I have watched several tapes of Vetyeka and I must admit that he is a good boxer but I have faced far stronger opponents than he is,”the Mexican said through an interpreter.

Vetyeka who listened to the interpretation attentively commended Reyes for willing to fight but doubted if the interpreter was relaying what the Mexican was really saying.

“Look I do not understand what he is saying and I know when you know that your opponent cannot hear you, you say everything. The interpreter may be giving us a false information about what he is really saying but all I can say is that I am going to teach him a boxing lesson.”

The winner will pick a WBA International title as well as a mandatory status for Walters who Vetyeka has previously said he would not fight because he is his friend.

Asked if he will challenge the hard hitting Jamaican if he prevails against Reyes, Vetyeka said: “Let us cross that bridge when we get to it but right now I want to be world a champion again.”

Vetyeka shot to prominence when he ended Indonesian legend Chris John's career with an upset six rounds stoppage to seize his WBA super title last December.

His loss to Donaire when the Filipino sustained a cut forcing their bout to be called off in the fourth round was a damper to the glory he was basking in after beating John.

But at 33-years-old, Vetyeka feels he has the tools to get back to the summit of the featherweight division teeming with talent.

“I am keepting tabs on what is happening in the division and I see that Vasyl Lomachenko is making the headlines as the best boxer but I want to remind everyone that I am still here.”

Vetyeka has lost three times in 29 bouts the same of defeats as the 28-year-old Mexican who has fought eight bouts less.