Failure by three boxers to make required weight limits for two titles spoiled what would otherwise have been a wonderful maiden tournament for promoter Megan Pieterse and Relebogile Mashego.
The two young women trade under the banner of Main Bout Boxing Promotions.
Their tournament took place at Event City, an industrial area in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, on Saturday evening.
That venue hosted a big crowd of fanatic rugby lovers who witnessed the Springboks beat the All Blacks 33-26 at Cape Town Stadium.
They stayed over to watch boxing, and they were involved emotionally from the beginning to the end of the six-bout tournament.
Little did they know that the hugely publicised SA welterweight and WBF Africa light heavyweight title fights were no longer happening.
Jabulani Makhense was 3kg over the welterweight limit, which is 66.68kg. His fight against the champ, Phaphama “Load Shedding” Rhonorhono, was called off.
“I am very disappointed that Jabulani could not even attempt to go for a run,” said Rhonorhono from Mthatha, who was to make the first defence of the belt he won in September last year.
“He challenged me, so I would have thought he pulled all the stops in his preparations.”
The champion’s trainer, Madoda “One More Time” Dyonase, described Makhense’s behaviour as unprofessional and disrespectful to his charge and the sport in general. “I put this kid under severe training methods only for the challenger not to make the weight.”
Both WBF Africa light heavyweight champion Bonginkosi “Malume” Nhlapo and Ayanda “Nyamazane” Mthembu could be within 79.38kg.
Had the title fight gone ahead, Nhlapo would have lost it on the scale.
Also, Mthembu would not have been crowned had he won because he also failed to make the required weight limit.
Promoters converted the scheduled 10-round championship headliner into a non-title catchweight over eight rounds.
“It was disappointing that the two boxers could not make the weight,” said WBF president Howard Goldberg.
Ushered to war by trainers Stephen Pieterse and Leo Gloss, Nhlapo stopped Mthembu with a body shot in the second round.
“I am not happy that I did not make the weight because I wanted to first beat up Mthembu for talking too much and also retain my title,” said Nhlapo.
Mthembu, whose corner was manned by Samson Ndlovu, could not explain his actions.
Earlier on the night, Prichard “Genaro” Dube artfully knocked out Zwelakhe Nhlapo with a well-executed solid body blow in the second round of their featherweight bout.
The bout of the night was the tit-for-tat six-rounder in the super middleweight between Khayalethu “Nkabi” Gabuza and Pieter “The Wolf” de Klerk.
They both showed heart, grit and determination.
It had fans on the edge of their seats throughout the distance. Gabuza won that energy-sapping bout by majority decision.
Drama unfolded when referee Michael Phiri disqualified Congolese Alex Kabangu in the sixth round for constantly holding Donjuan “The Dragon” van Heerden.
Phiri had warned Kabangu many times for holding, and he even deducted a point for that.
Other results:
Cruiserweight 4 rounds:
Jonathan Sam beat Danny Ngoakweyi on points
Heavyweight:
Nyiko Nkuna beat Peto Kapeto TKO 1
Sowetan
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