Every boxer entering the ring is fit and confident of winning regardless of how unheralded he is.
Local boxer Aphiwe Mboyiya will do well to remember this after his cockiness dealt him a terrible blow when he was almost knocked out by unheralded 19-year-old Filipino Jerry Castroverde at the Orient Theatre on Friday night.
Favoured to easily beat the visitor, especially after his most impressive performance when he dethroned experienced Jasper Seroka last month, Mboyiya, who lived up to his “Swagger” moniker, entered the ring full of himself, not even caring to pay attention to his defence.
Swinging punches from the waistline, Mboyiya was nailed by a monster right which crashed him to the canvas on his back.
His eyes glazed and his feet totally failing to support him, Mboyiya attempted to get up only to fold back to the canvas in a heap.
With Johannesburg referee Jaap van Niewenhuizen reluctant to count out the local favourite for fear of incurring the wrath of local fans, Mboyiya was allowed to gather himself as he staggered to his feet.
He only wobbled towards the ropes, a move which should have convinced Niewenhuizen to stop the fight.
But the Johannesburg referee called for the resumption of the fight and Mboyiya slipped into a desperate clinch heaving Castroverde off his feet to go crashing with him.
Niewenhuizen deducted Mboyiya a point for holding, but this all helped the boxer to buy the precious time he needed to recover.
By this time he had almost regained his senses even though his legs were still unsteady as the hall plunged into silence.
There was a collective sigh of relief when the bell sounded to end the round.
As he staggered towards his corner, Mboyiya appeared to say something, apparently admitting that he had been caught.
His handlers spent the entire rest period frantically reviving him, even pouring water on his knees.
At the resumption of the bout, his legs were still not fully recovered but as the bout progressed he began to fight back.
Mboyiya went on to win the fight and even returned the favour by dropping Castroverde en route to claiming the vacant IBF Youth world junior-lightweight crown, becoming the first boxer from the region to achieve the feat.
However, long after the fight, the fans were still debating his close shave with defeat.
Some commended him for miraculously beating the count and staging a comeback from the devastating knockdown while others vilified him for getting caught by the Filipino upstart.
In another clash, Makazole Tete hardly put forth a sustained offence in his IBF Intercontinental junior-bantamweight title clash against another Filipino, Raymond Tabugon, until he dramatic ended the fight in the fifth round.
Fighting on the back foot throughout and having even lost a point when he was penalised for excessive holding, Tete was content to let Tabugon dictate terms.
But as the visitor lunged in, Tete countered with a perfect right uppercut to drop Tabugon to his knees.
A follow-up barrage forced Tabugon’s corner to jump into the ring to rescue him.
Other results: Athi Dumezweni (Mthatha) W12 Abmerk Shindjuu (Namibia) (WBA International junior bantamweight title); Siphiwe Lusizi TKO 1 Vincent Mulaudzi (middleweight); Mbulelo Dyani W6 Mihlali Matyumza (bantamweight).
Rude awakening for cocky Mboyiya
Local boxer Aphiwe Mboyiya will do well to remember this after his cockiness dealt him a terrible blow when he was almost knocked out by unheralded 19-year-old Filipino Jerry Castroverde at the Orient Theatre on Friday night.
Favoured to easily beat the visitor, especially after his most impressive performance when he dethroned experienced Jasper Seroka last month, Mboyiya, who lived up to his “Swagger” moniker, entered the ring full of himself, not even caring to pay attention to his defence.
Swinging punches from the waistline, Mboyiya was nailed by a monster right which crashed him to the canvas on his back.
His eyes glazed and his feet totally failing to support him, Mboyiya attempted to get up only to fold back to the canvas in a heap.
With Johannesburg referee Jaap van Niewenhuizen reluctant to count out the local favourite for fear of incurring the wrath of local fans, Mboyiya was allowed to gather himself as he staggered to his feet.
He only wobbled towards the ropes, a move which should have convinced Niewenhuizen to stop the fight.
But the Johannesburg referee called for the resumption of the fight and Mboyiya slipped into a desperate clinch heaving Castroverde off his feet to go crashing with him.
Niewenhuizen deducted Mboyiya a point for holding, but this all helped the boxer to buy the precious time he needed to recover.
By this time he had almost regained his senses even though his legs were still unsteady as the hall plunged into silence.
There was a collective sigh of relief when the bell sounded to end the round.
As he staggered towards his corner, Mboyiya appeared to say something, apparently admitting that he had been caught.
His handlers spent the entire rest period frantically reviving him, even pouring water on his knees.
At the resumption of the bout, his legs were still not fully recovered but as the bout progressed he began to fight back.
Mboyiya went on to win the fight and even returned the favour by dropping Castroverde en route to claiming the vacant IBF Youth world junior-lightweight crown, becoming the first boxer from the region to achieve the feat.
However, long after the fight, the fans were still debating his close shave with defeat.
Some commended him for miraculously beating the count and staging a comeback from the devastating knockdown while others vilified him for getting caught by the Filipino upstart.
In another clash, Makazole Tete hardly put forth a sustained offence in his IBF Intercontinental junior-bantamweight title clash against another Filipino, Raymond Tabugon, until he dramatic ended the fight in the fifth round.
Fighting on the back foot throughout and having even lost a point when he was penalised for excessive holding, Tete was content to let Tabugon dictate terms.
But as the visitor lunged in, Tete countered with a perfect right uppercut to drop Tabugon to his knees.
A follow-up barrage forced Tabugon’s corner to jump into the ring to rescue him.
Other results: Athi Dumezweni (Mthatha) W12 Abmerk Shindjuu (Namibia) (WBA International junior bantamweight title); Siphiwe Lusizi TKO 1 Vincent Mulaudzi (middleweight); Mbulelo Dyani W6 Mihlali Matyumza (bantamweight).
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