Former amateur star Sinovuyo Mthintelwa hardly raised a sweat against Luxolo Gungutho, needing needed just two rounds to knock him out to claim his first title at the OR Tambo Hall in Mthatha on Saturday.
Fresh from a contentious win when he appeared to land a knockout punch a split second after the bell had ended his bout against Thimna Lingani in September, Mthintelwa, who goes by the “Pink One” moniker, made sure there would be no controversy this time as he launched an offence from the first round.
Capitalising on Gungutho’s struggle to make the weight for their clash, Mthintelwa attacked the midsection with gusto to sap any energy Gungutho might have replenished after numerous attempts to the scale.
The fight was over in the second when Mthintelwa nailed Gungutho with a big right hand to become the provincial flyweight champion, stretching his record to five bouts with four stoppages without a loss.
The bout of the tournament belonged to the featherweight clash between two Duncan Village boxers, Awonke Tini and Sihle Booi.
The clash was preceded by an exchange of words by both boxers at their weigh-in on Friday when the Dispatch shouted, “Duncan Village derby”.
Tini took umbrage at being compared with Booi, insisting that he was not on his level to contest the derby after taking former SA champion Zolisa Batyi to deep waters in December.
“What derby when I am fighting this kid?” he said.
Booi, who came into the clash with just two bouts on the backdrop of a disputed loss in Cape Town after making his professional debut in August, retorted, “This is a derby whether you undermine me or not because we are both coming from Duncan Village, and this is going to show.”
Indeed the bout exploded into a swapping of big blows, with both boxers taking no step back.
They continued to trade for the entire six-round bout, with the three judges unable to separate the winner, rendering the outcome a draw.
Booi’s trainer, Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye, said he knew his charge would hold his own despite coming in as an underdog.
“I told everyone willing to listen that if Tini thought it would be smooth sailing for him, he would be in for a rude awakening,” he said.
The rematch between Lusizo Manzana and Michael Daries ended in a similar manner to their 2021 clash when Manzana won by a first-round knockout.
This time, Manzana did the honours via a body blow to position himself for the title expected to be relinquished by Landile Ngxeke.
The tournament was the first for the year in the country and the second in the six shows funded by the provincial sport, recreation, arts and culture department, which kicked off with a Fireworks Promotion event in Ginsberg on December 22.
Boxing SA congratulated the organisers for a smooth event with no hiccups.
“Boxing SA extends its heartfelt congratulations to KM Sports and the department of sport, recreation, arts and culture on the resounding success of the first officially sanctioned tournament of 2026,” the body said in a statement.
Other results: Sinalo Mtolo W4 Namhla Mankayi (mini-fly); Siphelele Maxwele TKO1 Liyabona Lele (jnr feather); Sandile Lolwana TKO3 Banele Gceba (jnr fly).
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