PLETTENBERG BAY BOXING NEWS - Twenty-two boxers from around the country flocked to Piesang Valley Hall for the first Professional Boxing Development Tournament in Plettenberg Bay last Saturday.
The tournament, organised by Isizwe Boxing Promotions in conjunction with Bitou Municipality and Bitou Boxing Academy, drew boxers from as far north as the North West and as far south as Cape Town.
Of the 22 boxers, six hailed from the Garden Route: Unathi Mndwana and Nwabisile Cholani represented Bitou; Mbulelo Gobula and Bulelani Gondeka represented Mossel Bay; and Mbuyiseli Ndukwana and Lwanda Madikane represented Knysna.
The tournament on 7 December suffered from an immensely late start due to officials from Boxing SA arriving late coupled with loadshedding that kicked in untimeously. Seven hours after it was supposed to start, the event eventually got under way just after 20:00 once the power was back on, and boxers didn't waste their time getting down to business as Mnikelo Manqoba took on Masivuye Piliso, managing to win the fight on a points decision after the bout went the full four rounds.
Madikane was the first of the Garden Route boxers to step into the ring and managed to make himself and his supporting team proud, defeating Mlungisi Mthembu in a technical knockout (TKO) in the second round. His Knysna counterpart would face off with Masande Mendile, where Ndukwana would win in a first-round TKO.
The Mossel Bay boxers were next, with Gubula winning on a points decision while Ngondeka won by knockout in the second round. The two Bitou boxers' fights would only come at the end of the evening, with Mndwana taking on KwaZulu-Natal's Mziwenkosi Ndwandwe in the main bout and Cholani taking on Mdantsane's Mbulelo Nxazonke in the main support bout.
Cholani, the Western Cape provisional junior flyweight division champion, would go first in a bid to defend his title from the onslaught of Nxazonke. The latter would manage to go the full length of the fight, but Cholani would eventually win the bout on a points decision.
Mndwana, cofounder of Bitou Boxing Academy, wouldn't be able to emulate his counterpart's success as he lost to Ndwandwe by knockout in the third round. The fight was well-supported, despite starting late, and was even attended by former world champions Thulani Mbenge and Mzonke Fana.
Bulelani Ngondeka and Mbulelo Gubula (right) were the Mossel Bay boxers under the guidance of coach Mncedisi Ngolekeza. Photos: Blake Linder
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