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The last time KuGompo City trainer Ncedo Cecane was involved in a boxing match, he left the Orient Theatre in triumph after guiding the unheralded Ardy Katompa to a stunning win over Siyabulela Hem in April.
Having cemented his status as one of the best development trainers, Cecane’s sterling work saw him being recruited to head the WBC gymnasium in Johannesburg.
Within a short period, the quality of his work was evident when he led the relatively unknown Congolese Katompa to the biggest fight of his career against Hem, the SA junior featherweight champion, though his belt was not at stake.
Katompa not only dealt Hem a systematic beating but also inflicted his first knockout loss when he forced him to quit at the end of the ninth round, silencing fans in the packed venue who had come to watch Azinga Fuzile in action against Asanda Gingqi.
But Cecane, a former national flyweight champion, was not surprised by the victory, having previously guided boxers such as Landile Ngxeke to a SA title triumph against heavy odds.
“All I want from a boxer is work ethic and level-headedness, and that is what I got from Katompa,” he said.
And that is what he is also getting from his lone SA champion, Thinumzi Gqola, as he prepares for the second defence of his mini-flyweight belt against Athanani Mxoli on June 26 at the venue where Katompo sealed his victory.
Gqola, from the Duncan Village section of Toilet City, has upped and moved to camp in Johannesburg for a month.
Cecane said he was satisfied with the work his charge was putting in at camp, where there are no distractions.
“This environment is perfect in many respects because back home boxers tend to lose focus as they are constantly mobbed by their fans and [there are] other distractions.
“Here it is nothing but training, rest and more training, so much that all my KuGompo City boxers are here to benefit from top-notch camp and sparring sessions.”
Gqola, who is the pride of Toilet City, whose residents turn up to his fights in numbers, was last in action in December when he beat Mthokozisi Ngxaka in a rematch ordered by Boxing SA.
Ngxaka had filed a protest after his title loss in August, and BSA surprisingly sided with him, but Gqola proved that his win was no fluke when he outsmarted his adversary for the second time.
The stocky boxer, whose fleet-footed style defies his muscular build, has since emerged as one of the worthy SA champions and will enter the Duncan Village derby clash against Mxoli as a huge favourite.
However, fight promoter Ayanda Matiti of Xaba Promotions reminded fans of the dynamics of a derby, where form and odds often fly out the window.
“I see a hotly contested bout between these two and do not be surprised if we are treated to an upset,” he said.
Mxoli has a novice fight record of three wins, a draw and a loss compared to Gqola, who boasts six victories and two losses.
Daily Dispatch
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