ZOLANI Marali proved to be like a good wine that matures with age after he outsmarted homeboy Mzolisi Yoyo to retain his World Boxing Foundation (WBF) junior-welterweight crown at East London’s Orient Theatre on Sunday.
The slick ambidextrous Mdantsane-born Johannesburg-based Marali used deft moves to score repeatedly with crisp punches on Yoyo who waited too much to unload.
And when Yoyo decided to retaliate, Marali had long jumped out of harms way.
At 36 years old, Marali was quite sprightly as he glided effortlessly, his movement resembling that of Floyd Mayweather Jnr in his dominant display of 23-year-old Mexican Saul Alvarez in Las Vegas, US a few hours earlier.
Marali is as experienced and smart as they come and his movements in the ring defy his age.
Against Yoyo he would effortlessly switch from a right hand stance to southpaw with ease throwing Yoyo off his stride as he did not know when to attack. Yoyo would charge forward but when he was within punching range he was reluctant to let his hands go, fearing of being countered by Marali who was the faster of the two.
As the fight progressed, desperation began to sink on Yoyo as he resorted to roughhouse tactics especially during the clinch.
The 35-year-old Yoyo, who holds the SA junior-welterweight crown, would throw rabbit punches and was lucky he did not have a point deducted from him for the transgression.
But Marali was unfazed by Yoyo’s tactics, aware that they were a sign of desperation.
Instead the lanky NU13-born champion compounded Yoyo’s distress by showboating much to the delight of his fans.
With the win Marali, who has won marginal world titles in junior-featherweight, featherweight, junior-lightweight and junior-welterweight, upped his record to 23 wins and five losses in 28 fights.
With the performance he displays, Marali can still compete against the best in the world in his division but sadly the WBF crown he holds will not help him achieve such aspirations.
Before his clash against Yoyo, he had not fought for nine months but that hardly showed during the fight as he was as sharp as ever.
Yoyo’s record dropped to five losses in 26 fights but he left the ring in the comfort that he would go back to defending his SA title.
Marali’s ringcraft outwits Yoyo
The slick ambidextrous Mdantsane-born Johannesburg-based Marali used deft moves to score repeatedly with crisp punches on Yoyo who waited too much to unload.
And when Yoyo decided to retaliate, Marali had long jumped out of harms way.
At 36 years old, Marali was quite sprightly as he glided effortlessly, his movement resembling that of Floyd Mayweather Jnr in his dominant display of 23-year-old Mexican Saul Alvarez in Las Vegas, US a few hours earlier.
Marali is as experienced and smart as they come and his movements in the ring defy his age.
Against Yoyo he would effortlessly switch from a right hand stance to southpaw with ease throwing Yoyo off his stride as he did not know when to attack. Yoyo would charge forward but when he was within punching range he was reluctant to let his hands go, fearing of being countered by Marali who was the faster of the two.
As the fight progressed, desperation began to sink on Yoyo as he resorted to roughhouse tactics especially during the clinch.
The 35-year-old Yoyo, who holds the SA junior-welterweight crown, would throw rabbit punches and was lucky he did not have a point deducted from him for the transgression.
But Marali was unfazed by Yoyo’s tactics, aware that they were a sign of desperation.
Instead the lanky NU13-born champion compounded Yoyo’s distress by showboating much to the delight of his fans.
With the win Marali, who has won marginal world titles in junior-featherweight, featherweight, junior-lightweight and junior-welterweight, upped his record to 23 wins and five losses in 28 fights.
With the performance he displays, Marali can still compete against the best in the world in his division but sadly the WBF crown he holds will not help him achieve such aspirations.
Before his clash against Yoyo, he had not fought for nine months but that hardly showed during the fight as he was as sharp as ever.
Yoyo’s record dropped to five losses in 26 fights but he left the ring in the comfort that he would go back to defending his SA title.
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