Several spectators left the Orient Theatre shaking their heads in disappointment at Siyabulela Hem’s performance despite the Duncan Village fighter retaining his SA junior featherweight title by knocking out tough challenger Vusi Ngcamu on Sunday.
Though Hem was in control as he often wobbled Ngcamu, the fact that he took so many punches did not sit well with boxing experts.
Some trainers present at the packed Xaba Promotions tournament commemorating Heritage Month felt Hem could easily have dealt with Ngcamu while taking minimum punishment.
“Hem is a disaster waiting to happen,” one trainer shouted after the fight.
“They need to shore up his technique now if they have any hope of him going far in the sport.”
Instead of using his unusual height and reach to his advantage, Hem, who dwarfs many opponents in the division, tends to fight at close quarters and engage in unnecessary toe-to-toe exchanges, giving his foes an opportunity to land blows.
The shortcoming was highlighted in his previous fight when he defeated John Zile of Ghana to win the WBO Youth world title at Christian Centre Abbotsford in April.
His lethargic performance in that bout was attributed to an ailment which he reportedly hid from his handlers.
However, he displayed a similar flaw against Ngcamu by allowing the Gauteng challenger to flail at him at will.
This backfired when Hem was wobbled in the third round as they both swung for the fence with little regard for defence in arguably the best round of the bout.
Hem continued to stand in front of his southpaw challenger, throwing big bombs and taking some in return in what became a dogfight.
With no upper body movement to help him avoid some of the return fire, Hem continued to press for a stoppage until Ngcamu wilted under pressure as his legs failed to support him.
But Ngcamu fought through the haze, stunning Hem on numerous occasions, though this did not deter the Eastern Cape fighter.
Both fighters threw caution to the wind in the eighth round as they tried to find the one big punch to put the other to sleep.
The moment came for Hem in the ninth when he landed a barrage of blows that had Ngcamu holding on for dear life until he could no longer ward off his foe, resulting in the stoppage.
The win marked Hem’s second title defence since he dethroned veteran Bongani Mahlangu in September 2024 before destroying him in a Boxing SA-ordered rematch in December.
However, his style of fighting is yet to endear him to his critics, who keep pointing to his porous defence as his Achilles heel.
But at just 22 years old, Hem has enough time to polish his technique while building his international pedigree.
Daily Dispatch
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