An all-Duncan Village battle for the SA title will be on the cards if Siyabulela Hem and Ayabonga Sonjica win their next bouts.
Sonjica will make a ring return when he takes on Thato Bonokoane in Johannesburg on March 15 as part of the new promotional kid Aquila Boxing Promotions’ debut tournament.
The bout will snap a two-year enforced hiatus since he surrendered the SA junior featherweight title in a stunning knockout upset to veteran Bongani Mahlangu in July 2022.
Several attempts to bring him back were hampered, with his then promoter, Rumble Africa Promotions, unable to secure opponents until they became dormant.
Sonjica’s manager, Sean Smith, sought activity under other promoters including Xaba Promotions (XP), which guides most of his boxers, but the move yielded nothing
Sonjica, based in Johannesburg, was one of the reasons for the breakdown in negotiations between XP and KayB Promotions about a potential clash between Zolisa Batyi and Lindokuhle Khuzwayo for Batyi’s SA featherweight title defence.
Despite more than two years of inactivity which led to him being removed from the ratings, Sonjica has been regularly attending training and engaging in sparring sessions, which has motivated Smith to continue seeking action for him.
“He is always in the gym and that motivates me to fight for him; otherwise I would not have bothered myself with an uncommitted boxer,” Smith said.
“He is doing everything other boxers are doing, including sparring sessions, proving he has still got it.”
Now 33, the left-hander is already aiming to regain his SA belt if he beats Bonokoane and is reinstated into the ratings.
“Yes, we are looking to challenge for the SA title this year to continue with the rebuilding process,” Smith said.
Should the fight materialise it would be one of the rare battles involving Duncan Village boxers for an SA title.
Hem, 21, avenged Sonjica’s loss when he dethroned Mahlangu on points in Midrand in September before proving the victory was no fluke by destroying the 45-year-old Boipatong veteran in three one-sided rounds in a Boxing SA-ordered rematch in East London in December.
Hem is scheduled to defend the title against dangerous KwaZulu-Natal knockout specialist Mxolisi Zuma on a date yet to be confirmed, with XP planning to unleash him on the international scene if he wins.
However, owing to their cordial relations with Smith and penchant for local derbies, XP will probably be persuaded to pit the two boxers against each other in a bout that would capture the SA boxing scene.
Sonjica and Simpiwe Lusizi are the last two boxers to represent SA at the Olympics when they blazed the trail in the 2012 London Games.
DispatchLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.