The antagonism between adversaries Nkululeko Mhlongo and John Bopape, especially from Mhlongo, is scary.
The 40-year-old warrior from Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal was spitting fire during an interview on Thursday about his eagerly awaited rematch with the man from Alexandra who defeated him on points in their first fight – a non-title match in Durban last year.
Mhlongo's SA middleweight title will be at stake at Dr Molemela Indoor Sports Centre in Mangaung, Bloemfontein on Friday night.
The 40-year-old ring veteran said it was not the outcome of their first fight that drove him mad. Instead, it was Bopape’s utterances to some media platforms.
“He’s been telling people that he will put me down and I view that as disrespect to the defending champion because his words imply that I was given the SA middleweight title on a silver platter,” said Mhlongo, who dethroned Walter Dlamini with a fourth-round technical knockout in 2019.
“As an elder, I must act in such a way to instil some discipline to this young man. I intend to punish him until he gives up. I know which buttons to press and I am going to hit him hard on that spot.”
Mhlongo has previously held the SA junior-middleweight belt, which he defended five times to earn the outright ownership of the championship belt. His promoter Lebo Mahoko, whose Dream Team will co-stage the tournament with the Free State government, said Boxing SA acting CEO Nsikayezwe Sithole will present the championship belt to Mhlongo on Friday night.
Bopape, 30, said: “I expect him to come a different man but the outcome will remain the same like what happened in Durban. The beauty this time is that I am taking the title back home.”
This fight will headline a tournament Mahoko dubbed Freedom Day Celebrations at the venue named after late Petrus Malemela, who owned Bloemfontein Celtic football club.
The main undercard also pits fighters who know each other's strengths and weaknesses since they have fought each other previously, with Mpho Seforo winning the fight against Zolile Miya. Seforo’s No 5 rating in the flyweight division will be at stake against seventh-ranked Miya.
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