East London boxing will be in the spotlight this weekend when the city holds the all-women tournament in Scenery Park and while Duncan Village star Azinga Fuzile blazes a trail in Kazakhstan.
Ola GGM Promotions will present a six-bout show at the Scenery Park community hall on Saturday, headlined by a tasty provincial junior-flyweight title duel between unbeaten boxers Sibabalwe Gwebityala and Okuhle Mthi.
They are evenly matched with almost identical fight records, though Mthi’s five bouts are two more than her adversary’s.
But they have equal number of victories, with Mthi, who has drawn twice, still fresh from her stunning win over reigning SA champion Nozwelethu Mathontsi in December.
Ola boss Monica Goci appealed to boxing fans, especially women, to to support the event.
“If fans come in big numbers to our events it will help us to keep bringing them to this area,” she said.
The last time boxing was held in the area, in March 2024, the hall was filled to capacity with screaming fans providing a captivating atmosphere.
Goci, who staged the event, said she had been encouraged to bring it back to reward people for their support.
Fuzile will be involved in a career-defining clash for the WBA continental junior-lightweight title against unbeaten Kazakhstan star Sultan Zaurbek in Astana.
The fight will mark the first time the 28-year-old Duncan Village southpaw fights abroad since coming up short in an IBF world title challenge against Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa in the US in 2021.
Having rebounded with three wins, Fuzile is on a quest to chase for another world title shot, with a win in Kazakhstan set to vault him into the title mix.
While his trip to Kazakhstan was disrupted when he was delayed in Turkey for 18 hours, Fuzile was still brimming with confidence and regularly posted updates about the fight.
His manager, Mla Tengimfene, said Fuzile was in high spirits and aiming to cause an upset in enemy territory.
“He is in a good physical and mental condition and will not be overawed by fighting in a foreign environment,” he said.
“He has fought in this kind of situation before and takes everything in his stride.”
Fuzile’s loss to Ogawa was his second in 20 bouts, having previously lost to Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in a world title eliminator in East London in 2019.
Daily Dispatch
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