‘Bulldog’ needs some bite in title defence

NKULULEKO Mhlongo is still shaking his head in disbelief after suffering what he described as “daylight robbery” in his last fight in England last month.

This when the SA junior-middleweight champion found himself on the wrong end of the judges’ decision in his clash against English prospect Wanik Awdijan.

“There is no way I lost that fight,” Mhlongo wailed on social media.

The boxer who goes by the “Bulldog” mo niker will get an opportunity to prove that he is not a spent force back home when he r isks his title against unbeaten prospect Brendon Thysse in one of the star- studded bouts featured in the Golden Gloves Promotion (GGP) show on September 9.

The battleground will be Emperors Palace with the show being beamed live on SuperSport, giving Mhlongo an opportunity to redeem himself in front of a big audience.

Problem for him is that Thysse is also using the fight as an opportunity to come out of the shadows of his famous father Andre.

GGP were the organisers in 2005 when Brendon’s dad turned off the stiff challenge of another rising star, in the then unbeaten Daniel Bruwer.

Thysse senior had to dig deep from his reserves which had been augmented by experience gained from bouts against the likes of world champions Mikkel Kessler, Brian Magee and Markus Beyer to cling to his SA super-middleweight title.

Now 12 years later another member of the Thysse dynasty goes up against an experienced boxer whose career has also been moulded by bouts against the likes of former world champion Isaac Hlatshwayo.

In fact it was Mhlongo who first exposed the chinks in Hlatshwayo’s armour when the boxer was still considered as a world-class campaigner.

Although he had shockingly surrendered his IBF welterweight crown to unheralded Serb Jan Zaveck, detractors still gave Hlatshwayo the benefit of doubt arguing that he was badly caught on an off night.

But Mhlongo would prove his controversial loss to Hlatshwayo was no fluke as he followed it up with an SA junior-middleweight title capture and subsequently turned off challenges against the likes of former two-time SA champion Sikhulule Sidzumo right in his own backyard.

But now the Bulldog is considered to be long in the tooth and ready to pass on the to the emerging unbeaten star who has won all but one of his nine bouts by stoppages.

GGP boss Rodney Berman who has a penchant of spotting talent feels a win by Thysse will give his fledging career a knee-jerk.

“There is no doubt that Brendon has a massive job on his hands,” he said.

“And if he beats Mhlongo and win the title I see him going all the way perhaps even emulating his dad.”

Only time will tell. — Boxing Mecca