Hlumelo Gingxana will not be rushed to an SA title shot despite his potential, which he displayed when he easily stopped Aphiwe Magobiyane to win the provincial lightweight title in Komani at the weekend.
This was the promise made by his manager, Lonki Witbooi, who also handles management duties for the unbeaten Braelyn star.
The 25-year-old notched up his fifth win with all but one stoppage against a draw when he floored Magobiyane with a big right hook before unleashing a fusillade to force the referee’s intervention in the second round.
Magobiyane vehemently protested the stoppage, describing it as premature, and was still swearing outside the hall, accusing the referee of ensuring Gingxana left the ring a winner.
But Witbooi denied the allegations and sounded surprised, claiming that Magobiyane’s handlers put the blame on the boxer for poor performance.
“I went to their corner after the stoppage, and his handlers were blaming Magobiyane for the stoppage,” he said.
“I even pleaded with them not to criticise the boxer right after the fight because that could break him.”
Witbooi argued that Magobiyane was taking too much punishment after being dropped by the right hook.
“He could have been badly hurt had the referee allowed him to take more punishment, and I feel the stoppage was justified.”
Despite the debatable outcome, there was no denying that Gingxana looked razor sharp with the precision of a surgeon as his hands flew fluidly, resembling boxers fighting in lighter divisions.
Having waited close to a year to finally earn a title shot after former champion Siseko Makeleni kept withdrawing from their fight until he was stripped of the belt, Gingxana seized the opportunity and emerged as a new hope for the province to win the SA title in a division often dominated by boxers from other provinces.
The title has been in Gauteng boxer Khaya Busakwe’s possession since he won it in bizarre circumstances from Mdantsane’s Lusanda Komanisi when Komanisi appeared to dislocate a shoulder in March 2023.
Busakwe last defended the title in September 2024 when he stopped a Witbooi-trained boxer, Sinethemba Blom, in a near-tragic bout which left Blom in hospital for several weeks and forced him to retire from boxing.
Witbooi said Gingxana would not be rushed to pursue a shot at Busakwe as yet, as he wanted him to gain more seasoning and experience.
“We will focus on defending the provincial title while polishing Gingxana’s craft,” he said.
“Hopefully we can get a fight that will go the full distance for him to get some rounds under his belt.”
Gingxana became the first boxing champion from Braelyn.
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