DDR
The focus of the cancelled tournament in Cape Town in May was on Xolisani Ndongeni due to a number of factors.
One of them was that it was the umpteenth time Ndongeni had been subjected to a related promotional tiff which meant he could not be paid his purse.
But one other victim of the Cape Town debacle was Thembelani Nxoshe, whose story is similar to Ndongeni’s.
Nxoshe was scheduled to make the first defence of his SA flyweight title against Dalisizwe Komani as a co-feature to the Ndongeni fight in Cape Town.
It would have been the first time Nxoshe entered the ring as a champion after his documented protracted battle with Boxing SA over his demotion as a champion.
This after he thought he had won the title when he beat Doctor Ntsele for what was billed as a clash for the vacant crown relinquished by Makazole Tete.
But BSA refused to recognise Nxoshe as a champion citing compliance that was not met by the organisers of the fight.
Nxoshe took up the matter, even seeking legal recourse, but his battle yielded nothing positive.
It was after he had hopped from one promoter to another until he found a home at Xaba Promotions and Events that he eventually received the rubber stamp to fight for the title.
After losing a decision to veteran Mfundo Gwayana in an ill-tempered fight, Nxoshe’s gods seemed to be smiling at him when he got another opportunity against Gwayana with the title now at stake.
He grabbed it with both hands by knocking out Gwayana in seven rounds to finally realise his long dream of becoming the national champion.
But the bad luck appeared to have returned to haunt him when his first fight as a champion against Komani was called off at the 11th hour.
He is hoping that his upcoming fight against Xolisile Voyi for the title does not encounter any hiccups.
“Nxoshe is at a stage where he does not know if he will ever enter a ring as a champion anymore after what has happened to him,” his promoter, Thando Zonke, said.
“But we are hoping this fight comes off, otherwise I shudder to think what will become of him.”
Some boxers have lost their fighting spirit after being taken on a merry-go-round by authorities.
Junior bantamweight contender Sithembele Faye was not the same when his fights for the vacant SA junior bantamweight title were constantly downgraded at the last moment.
By the time the title was at stake Faye had clearly lost his interest, leading him to easily lose against Lindile Tshemese.
“I hope it is not the same scenario with Nxoshe,” Zonke said.
Nxoshe’s fight with Voyi will be part of the Rumble Africa Promotion show scheduled for July 30 at the Orient Theatre. — Boxing Mecca
Nxoshe must shake off bad luck spell
The focus of the cancelled tournament in Cape Town in May was on Xolisani Ndongeni due to a number of factors.
One of them was that it was the umpteenth time Ndongeni had been subjected to a related promotional tiff which meant he could not be paid his purse.
But one other victim of the Cape Town debacle was Thembelani Nxoshe, whose story is similar to Ndongeni’s.
Nxoshe was scheduled to make the first defence of his SA flyweight title against Dalisizwe Komani as a co-feature to the Ndongeni fight in Cape Town.
It would have been the first time Nxoshe entered the ring as a champion after his documented protracted battle with Boxing SA over his demotion as a champion.
This after he thought he had won the title when he beat Doctor Ntsele for what was billed as a clash for the vacant crown relinquished by Makazole Tete.
But BSA refused to recognise Nxoshe as a champion citing compliance that was not met by the organisers of the fight.
Nxoshe took up the matter, even seeking legal recourse, but his battle yielded nothing positive.
It was after he had hopped from one promoter to another until he found a home at Xaba Promotions and Events that he eventually received the rubber stamp to fight for the title.
After losing a decision to veteran Mfundo Gwayana in an ill-tempered fight, Nxoshe’s gods seemed to be smiling at him when he got another opportunity against Gwayana with the title now at stake.
He grabbed it with both hands by knocking out Gwayana in seven rounds to finally realise his long dream of becoming the national champion.
But the bad luck appeared to have returned to haunt him when his first fight as a champion against Komani was called off at the 11th hour.
He is hoping that his upcoming fight against Xolisile Voyi for the title does not encounter any hiccups.
“Nxoshe is at a stage where he does not know if he will ever enter a ring as a champion anymore after what has happened to him,” his promoter, Thando Zonke, said.
“But we are hoping this fight comes off, otherwise I shudder to think what will become of him.”
Some boxers have lost their fighting spirit after being taken on a merry-go-round by authorities.
Junior bantamweight contender Sithembele Faye was not the same when his fights for the vacant SA junior bantamweight title were constantly downgraded at the last moment.
By the time the title was at stake Faye had clearly lost his interest, leading him to easily lose against Lindile Tshemese.
“I hope it is not the same scenario with Nxoshe,” Zonke said.
Nxoshe’s fight with Voyi will be part of the Rumble Africa Promotion show scheduled for July 30 at the Orient Theatre. — Boxing Mecca
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