Underdog Mxoli vows to introduce himself in SA title shot derby

Athanani Mxoli might be virtually unknown in boxing circles, with some even questioning his approval for the SA title, but he is determined to dramatically introduce himself when he challenges Thinumzi Gqola at the Orient Theatre in KuGompo City on Friday.

The battle for the mini-flyweight title to be promoted by Xaba Promotions will pit two Duncan Village boxers against each other in the latest edition of the township derby, with Gqola being the more well-known of the two.

Besides fighting on national television in his last two bouts, beating Mthokozisi Ngxaka twice has raised Gqola’s profile, making him a favourite to retain his belt.

However, that has not bothered Mxoli, who has been chasing Gqola for a while, with their planned fight in December 2024 getting cancelled at the eleventh hour.

“We have been chasing him for a while, and we are glad this fight has finally been made,” Mxoli’s trainer, Dumisa Danisa, said.

“We even submitted three challenges for him to make sure that we corner him to defend against us.”

While Gqola is camping in Johannesburg for a month, Mxoli has also left nothing to chance in preparations for the biggest bout of his career, as he is maintaining a seven-day training regimen without taking a break on Sundays.

He was fine-tuning his technique this past weekend, with no time for interview requests.

“I know people might think we are struggling with weight for training this much, but there is no such thing; it is just [that] we want to make sure we are in the best shape for this opportunity.”

Mxoli has vaulted to the top spot in SA ratings despite his five-fight record, which shows three wins, a loss and a draw.

He still disputes the lone loss to Nhlakanipho Kunene in KwaZulu-Natal, while his November 2024 draw in a rematch against Qhamani Mhlana, who now holds the provincial title, was rather unfortunate, as he appeared to repeat the win he had scored 11 months earlier.

Danisa still regrets taking the rematch which was offered with three weeks’ notice.

“We had not fought for over a year, so in fear of being removed from the ratings, we decided to take the rematch even though we did not get enough time to prepare.

“But I still believe we deserved the win, not the draw.

“When Gqola was reluctant to fight us, we had already planned to challenge Mhlana for the provincial title to settle that controversial draw, but thank God we now have a bigger fish to fry.”

Mxoli is a product of the East London Youth Boxing Club, which is one of the oldest boxing gymnasiums in Duncan Village, having been opened in 1987 by the late Tony Batala.

Batala was held in high regard in the shack-littered township as the boxing hope to dethrone then SA junior featherweight champion Vuyani Bungu before Bungu won the IBF title in 1994.

Danisa said Mxoli would finally end the gymnasium’s drought of never producing an SA champion by not only dethroning Gqola but also knocking him out.

“He will have to save himself by falling on his face,” he said.

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