The future of Gqeberha’s Nozipho Bell is uncertain after she surrendered her SA junior-lightweight title to Bernice Ferreira in Pretoria at the weekend, marking yet another low point in her career.
Bell, who was one of Gqeberha’s two SA champions together with Razeel Mohammed, reportedly went to the Ferreira fight underprepared, having not gone to camp, and was a shadow of her former self.
Bell struggled to make weight when she stopped Abongile Lubambo in eight rounds in a catchweight bout in the Nangoza Jebe Hall in March.
Bell had a stoppage loss in Russia in August and battled with the scales at the weigh-in of the Ferreira fight.
She was given more time to shed excess grams before making the weight, but the weight reduction affected her during the fight.
She could not keep up with Ferreira’s speed, losing a one-sided points decision by scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92.
Her trainer, Lonki Witbooi, who declined to accompany her to the fight due to her refusal to join camp, attributed the loss to lack of proper preparations.
Witbooi, who trains Bell in East London, said he begged her to begin camp a while back, but the boxer did not heed the call.
“She was in Gqeberha when the fight was announced, and I pleaded with her to come back to start camp, but she kept giving me the runaround,” he said.
Witbooi gave her a deadline two weeks before the fight that if she did not come to East London to begin camp, he would not be part of her team to Pretoria.
Bell and her promoter, David Faas, did not answer calls when contacted for comment.
She had earlier said she was basically training on her own for the fight, using a fitness centre to prepare.
Witbooi could not say his relationship with Bell had ended, though he insisted he was disappointed with her loss.
“I really do not think Bell would have lost to Ferreira if she was properly prepared.
“Bell has a wealth of experience, having fought better opposition at international level, so I am pretty confident she would have handled anything thrown her way.
“Without taking anything from Ferreira’s win, you cannot prepare for a title defence in two weeks, especially when you are fighting away from home with issues like altitude playing their role while there is also a weight challenge.”
Bell was a flagship for Nelson Mandela Bay municipality boxing funding when she benefited in the initial stages by winning the IBF International title and climbed the world rankings.
However, she was subjected to inactivity, leading to her getting stripped of the belt and forfeiting her lofty rankings.
Witbooi said his door was still open for Bell to pick up the pieces if she was keen to save her boxing career.
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