Zolani reveals all in this sparring session

Zolani Marali was known for his swagger as well as his awkward fighting style which earned him the moniker,  Untouchable or Muna (loosely translated to slippery) but deep down is a boxer who has yet to overcome the tragic death of his brother, Mzukisi, as well as the stigma of missing out on the SA Olympic team for doping.

Now 41 years old, he pours his heart out.

BOXING MECCA: Muna  welcome to the pages of Boxing Mecca. Firstly are you still an active boxer?

ZOLANI MARALI: Yes, my broer, I am still very active but I am starving for fights.

BM: I have not seen you in the ring since last July when you beat Kaizer Mabuza to retain your WBF junior-welterweight title. What has been happening with you?

ZM: You know I find myself fighting just once per year as I am winding down my career. I last fought in July last year and now it is August so I have gone a full year without a fight.

BM: Were you satisfied with your performance against Mabuza? Don’t you think promoters were put off by how your performed in that fight?

ZM: I was very satisfied with my performance because I perfected the chess match boxing and outsmarted Mabuza. I really do not think there was anything wrong in that fight to put off promoters.

BM: How long will you keep fighting?

ZM: Actually I plan to fight just twice and call it a day now.

BM: Who would you like to fight?

ZM: I would love to fight anyone including Tsiko Mulovhedzi who has just beaten Ali Funeka. Actually I was hoping Funeka would win that fight so that we could have our third fight but I have no problem fighting Tsiko. Coincidentally I was helping Tsiko with sparring sessions for the fight and although what happens in sparring sessions stays in the gym he knows that he will never beat me. I would also love to fight this young boy, Paul Kamanga, and I have also sparred with him.

BM: Who is your promoter?

ZM: I have no promoter and maybe that is the reason for my inactivity. But at my age no promoter would be interested to sign me.

BM: So you have been sitting idle at home doing nothing for a whole year?

ZM: Actually I was preparing for a fight in Australia for the IBO title but the fight was cancelled when I had already signed the contract. Fortunately they paid me what was due to me according to the contract.  There are several other bouts that fell off for unknown reasons so to answer your question I have not been sitting idle. I always keep myself in shape.

BM:  Lets talk about your Olympic misfortune when you were kicked out of the South African team to Sydney for doping. What really happened there?

ZM: Eish, my broer, that incident is one of my lowest points of my life. I mean I made a mistake when I was influenced by township peers to smoke dagga not knowing that it contained one of the banned substances. Then the tests picked it up and I was kicked out of the team. You know going to the Olympics is a dream of every athlete because it takes sacrifice to qualify and I did all that only to let myself down when it mattered most. Maybe my boxing career could have panned out differently, who knows but it is no use crying over spilt milk. But these things are a lesson to us especially boys from the township where you are exposed to a lot of stuff much of which you do not even know could destroy you.

BM: This really hit you hard judging by what you have just said…

ZM: Yhoo, my broer, you have no idea. I had to live with this stigma that I was a cheat because people did not have the full details of what happened.

BM: You turned professional immediately after that…

ZM: That was the only thing to do because my amateur reputation was tainted and I could not wait for another four years to go to the Olympics so I had to turn pro.

BM: Who influenced you to take up boxing?

ZM: Now you are asking me about my other pain of my life. My late brother “Little Tyson” was my biggest role model and supporter. His death when he was stabbed  nearly destroyed me.

BM: You mean Mzukisi Marali was stabbed to death?

ZM: Yes, my broer, he was stabbed in North West. You know the most painful thing is that I had just fought Funeka when I was robbed against him and a few days later this tragedy struck. He could not be present at my fight but called me just before I went into the ring to wish me good luck.

BM: You seem to have come through a lot of hard stuff.

ZM: You have no idea what I have been through. When I was doing Standard 2 (now Grade 4), my mother left us in 1989 and our father had to raise us on his own for almost 12 years. Mind you we were five kids at home with first-born being twins, “Little Tyson” and Zola. My father was working at Eskom so he was able to take care of us and was able to send us to school. As a result Zola and my younger brother, Dumani, are graduates. My mother returned home in around 2007.

BM: But despite that you won numerous world titles in various divisions at one stage you were the darling of Rodney Berman’s Golden Gloves promotion.

ZM: I knew how to market myself hence Rodney loved me.

BM: But why did you guys break up?

ZM: Rodney was at loggerheads with my then manager, Judy Solomons, who was also managing Isaac Chilemba, so he told me to part ways with Judy before he could start working with me again but I could not because I had a contract with Judy.

BM: Would you like to work with Rodney again?

ZM: Very much and remember Rodney is now promoting Kamanga so maybe he can organise that fight and I hear that you are good friends with him so maybe you can put in a word for me?

BM: Hang on Muna, I am not an agent but a journalist but that would be a good fight to test Kamanga’s mettle. Looking back are you grateful for what boxing has done for you?

ZM: Very grateful broer. Now I have a house, a wife for whom I paid lobola and five kids so what else can I ask for? So many graduates are unemployed such as my younger brother who is a qualified engineer but is now a taxi driver because he cannot find a job. I am not knocking him down or any graduate for that matter but I am just saying we choose different paths in our lives through the grace of God and some lead us to success and some do not. So I am grateful for what God has given me and  wish all these graduates could find jobs.