Fuzile to hit scales in PE

The boxing premedical examination that was scheduled to be held in East London on Thursday for the big tournament in PE has been moved to the Friendly City.

The premedical will still be held on Thursday but now Boardwalk will host it.

The event is for Sunday’s big tournament scheduled to be headlined by the IBF Intercontinental junior-lightweight title defence by Duncan Village star Azinga Fuzile against Mexican Romulo Koasicha at Nangoza Jebe hall.

Koasicha, who will come as a relative unknown foe for Fuzile, is so determined to win the fight that he arrived in East London as early as Monday to acclimatise.

The Mexican boasts a rather patchy fight record of seven losses in 34 bouts and has a reputation of going 10 rounds with the universally recognised pound for pound star Vasiliy Lomachenko before losing his WBO world title challenge in 2015.

Since then he has lost two more of his last four bouts to remain a player in the junior-lightweight division.

On Thursday, Koasicha will move to Port Elizabeth for the premedical as well as wrap up his preparations for the fight.

Rumble Africa Promotions (RAP), which will organise the fight, revealed that all the boxers will be available at the premedical.

Asked why they changed the premedical venue at the last minute, RAP coordinator Mfesi Nyathela said: “Our partners in Port Elizabeth were not happy that some of the programmes of the fight are held in East London when they are paying for the tournament.”

Other boxers to be present will be Phila Mpontshane and his opponent Koos Sibiya.

The pair will engage in a Boxing SA-ordered rematch for the SA junior-lightweight title.

Sivenathi Nontshinga, who faces Nicaraguan Benavides Calero Lyman Alberto, will be the only one without an opponent at the premedical.

Nyathela said the Nicaraguan would arrive on Friday just in time for the final weigh-in the following day.

The tournament will also see Olympian Ayabonga Sonjica opting to go via the ABU title route after his challenge for the SA junior-featherweight title was turned down by BSA.

Sonjica was looking to face Innocent Mantengu for the SA junior-featherweight title but BSA opted to meet Thatho Bonokoane, who fought to a highly controversial draw against Mantengu last weekend. Sonjica will now battle Asiphe Tshili for the ABU title.

There will be other exciting bouts on the undercard such as the anticipated firefight between amateur star Siyakholwa Khuse and free-swinging Phumlani Maloni of Makhanda.