Sharrodene Fortuin will enter into her first bout in more than a year when she takes on Brazilian Simone Da Silva Duarte at the Mdantsane Indoor Centre tonight.
However, the bout that is brewing is between her and East London female boxing sensation Leighandre Jegels.
For now, the pair are stablemates and friends but this has not stopped boxing fans from drooling on what could be if they were to clash.
Ironically, the bout could very well have taken place this evening, had Jegels’s manager, Andile Sidinile, not totally rejected it.
When Fortuin, whose lone loss to Bukiwe Nonina is still a sore point ran out of opponents after boxers withdrew from facing her, it resulted in the bout being postponed from last week until tonight with Jegels named as a possible replacement.
Fortuin was scheduled to contest for the vacant WBA international junior bantamweight title last week but all three of her opponents withdrew due to various reasons.
The last to pull out was Matshidiso Mokebisi, leaving promoter Thando Zonke with no option but to move the tournament to tonight.
Fortunately, Duarte readily jumped in when she was offered the fight, although her latest losing streak means no title will be at stake.
But Fortuin’s clash against Jegels remains a highly anticipated encounter, with Zonke having begun laying the groundwork for it.
“Yes, we considered Jegels as a replacement when we were battling to find an opponent for Fortuin,” Zonke said.
“But it is no longer necessary to talk about it now because Fortuin is fighting Duarte.”
Jegels was stretched to the full distance by unheralded Nolubabalo Ngqondelana in their SA junior bantamweight title clash this past June.
It was the first time she went the full distance in six fights, fuelling the perception that perhaps she is not as invincible as previously thought.
But Sidinile wants to hear nothing of that proposed bout.
“I can tell you now that Baby Lee and Shazz will not fight, not now, not in the future,” he said.
Sidinile has inside information about the two boxers – having guided both before letting Fortuin join Zonke’s TZ Promotion, with whom he still has cordial relations.
Meanwhile, former world champion Welcome Ncita, who has taken over training Fortuin, has no doubt his new recruit will be victorious tonight.
Ncita has been training Fortuin since she relocated from Cape Town to East London and is awed by the talent the 23-year-old possesses.
“I have no doubt that this girl is going to be a revelation,” Ncita said.
“I see no one standing in her way and that goes for any boxer in her weight class.”
Not only have three boxers run for cover at the mere mention of Fortuin’s name but even Nonina, who scored a highly controversial win, wants no part of facing the fiery fighter.
Nonina was offered the return fight but flatly turned it down, despite being offered the biggest purse of her career.
The bout everybody wants: Fortuin vs Duarte
However, the bout that is brewing is between her and East London female boxing sensation Leighandre Jegels.
For now, the pair are stablemates and friends but this has not stopped boxing fans from drooling on what could be if they were to clash.
Ironically, the bout could very well have taken place this evening, had Jegels’s manager, Andile Sidinile, not totally rejected it.
When Fortuin, whose lone loss to Bukiwe Nonina is still a sore point ran out of opponents after boxers withdrew from facing her, it resulted in the bout being postponed from last week until tonight with Jegels named as a possible replacement.
Fortuin was scheduled to contest for the vacant WBA international junior bantamweight title last week but all three of her opponents withdrew due to various reasons.
The last to pull out was Matshidiso Mokebisi, leaving promoter Thando Zonke with no option but to move the tournament to tonight.
Fortunately, Duarte readily jumped in when she was offered the fight, although her latest losing streak means no title will be at stake.
But Fortuin’s clash against Jegels remains a highly anticipated encounter, with Zonke having begun laying the groundwork for it.
“Yes, we considered Jegels as a replacement when we were battling to find an opponent for Fortuin,” Zonke said.
“But it is no longer necessary to talk about it now because Fortuin is fighting Duarte.”
Jegels was stretched to the full distance by unheralded Nolubabalo Ngqondelana in their SA junior bantamweight title clash this past June.
It was the first time she went the full distance in six fights, fuelling the perception that perhaps she is not as invincible as previously thought.
But Sidinile wants to hear nothing of that proposed bout.
“I can tell you now that Baby Lee and Shazz will not fight, not now, not in the future,” he said.
Sidinile has inside information about the two boxers – having guided both before letting Fortuin join Zonke’s TZ Promotion, with whom he still has cordial relations.
Meanwhile, former world champion Welcome Ncita, who has taken over training Fortuin, has no doubt his new recruit will be victorious tonight.
Ncita has been training Fortuin since she relocated from Cape Town to East London and is awed by the talent the 23-year-old possesses.
“I have no doubt that this girl is going to be a revelation,” Ncita said.
“I see no one standing in her way and that goes for any boxer in her weight class.”
Not only have three boxers run for cover at the mere mention of Fortuin’s name but even Nonina, who scored a highly controversial win, wants no part of facing the fiery fighter.
Nonina was offered the return fight but flatly turned it down, despite being offered the biggest purse of her career.
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