Avuyile Mphikwa added his name to the star-studded featherweight division when he scored a sensational sixth-round knockout of Siphenathi Nobanda to win the provincial belt at Titi Jonas Community Hall in Port Alfred at the weekend.
The bout topped the fifth provincial government-funded show, with Lerenan Promotions delivering a resounding action-packed event fused with musical entertainment.
Having taken the boxing fraternity by surprise when he sneaked into a title shot out of nowhere, leaving favoured boxers behind, Mphikwa confirmed what his trainer Mapetla Mzamo had been lamenting: him being avoided in the division, rendering him in obscurity.
Though he hails from Duncan Village, he fought in remote areas with his bouts taking place away from the glare of East London boxing eyes.
His last bout was in Gcuwa in October 2024, when he needed one round to destroy Xhanti Mjezu.
He executed a similar destruction to Siyambuka Nomatiti’s in his professional debut in Mthatha six months earlier.
However, his victory over those opponents lulled lofty expectations of his potential, putting him in the lower pecking order of contenders vying for the title.
With a slew of boxers jostling for supremacy in the division, including former SA champion Zolisa Batyi, his victim-cum-friend Awonke Tini, former top-rated bantamweight contender Likho Sigaba, former title-holder Bongani Fule, Simamkele Singile and Nobanda, Mphikwa’s name was hardly mentioned until Mzamo manoeuvred him into a title shot.
Part of his dark horse tag was due to him rarely being seen in boxing circles, as he concentrated on his studies at the University of Fort Hare.
But he proved to be equally adept behind the desk as he is in the ring when he dominated the more experienced Nobanda, dropping him twice in the fifth round.
The slaughter was finally completed in the following round when a vicious uppercut sent Nobanda crashing face-first, with the referee immediately waving the action over.
While his name will not be forgotten any time soon, Mzamo said there were areas needing polishing before turning the knockout specialist loose against the best in the division.
‘Fists of stones’
“Listen, his fists are made of stones, but in his eagerness to unleash them he sometimes forgets technique, and that happened against Nobanda.
“We needed to calm him down between the rounds and told him to relax and wait for opportunities to present themselves.”
Mphikwa will now shift his knockout prowess to the classroom.
This as almost all other elite featherweights in the province are scheduled for action as Tini and Sigaba clash on April 4 at the Guild Theatre.
Singile will also be in action while Fule’s SA title challenge against champion Lindelani Sibisi is still up in smoke.
Other results: Sivenathi July W6 Phumlani Maloni (minifly), Sivenathi Adonisi W4 Khayalethu Prince (fly), Thozamile Tokota TKO2 Cwenga Tolana (fly), Abalulekile Magoqoza TKO1 Siphosethu Qakamfana (jnr fly), Masixole Tyabazayo W4 Siphesihle Mpolweni (bantam), Malibongwe Balakisi W4 Ayabulela Mngxuma (feather).
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