Two of Duncan Village’s former boxing stars are making steady progress in reclaiming their lost glory after registering emphatic victories recently.
Former SA junior featherweight champion Ayabonga “Jay Jay” Sonjica and Luyanda Mntwanambi are promising to punch their careers back to shape, with Sonjica a few bouts from getting a shot at the title he once held.
One of the last two boxers to represent SA at the Olympics when he and Simphiwe Lusizi blazed a trail at the 2012 London Games, Sonjica returned to the ring in March after a three-year break punctuated by his stunning knockout loss to veteran Bongani Mahlangu to surrender the SA belt.
Since beating Thato Bonokoane, he secured stoppage victories over Sanele Maduna and Sabelo Ngebiyana in May and August, respectively.
The wins are expected to vault Sonjica to the title mix, though his trainer, Sean Smith, wants him to get more bouts to get rid of the last vestiges of ring rust.
“We are not rushing anything [to get a] title shot for Jay Jay, but I cannot lie and say we are not looking for it in the near future,” Smith said.
“So far, we are happy with his progress since resuming his career.”
The loss to Mahlangu remains the sole blemish on Sonjica’s fight record of 14 bouts but at 34, time is not on his side.
Already, the boxing fraternity is clamouring for a showdown against homeboy Siyabulela Hem, who holds Sonjica’s former belt.
While Sonjica is clearly recapturing his form, Ntwanambi is yet to prove that he has exorcised the demons which led him to take a four-year layoff.
The talented boxer went off the rails after losing to Jackson Chauke in an SA flyweight title challenge in Gqeberha in 2021.
He relocated to Gauteng, where he enrolled at a rehabilitation facility before entering the ring again and clinching a second-round stoppage victory over Rofhiwa Maphupha a fortnight ago to raise hopes of getting his career back on track.
Now being guided by Johannesburg trainer Bernie Pailman, Ntwanambi has managed to shed weight and get back into shape in his quest to use boxing to deal with his demons.
Pailman said Ntwanambi weighed close to 70kg when he joined him in January.
“But we managed to reduce his weight to 50.25kg for his fight against Maphupha and he said he still felt strong.
“He told me he had never fought at that weight before and still feel strong.”
Ntwanambi pulled out of a scheduled bout due to weight struggles when he was training under Amanda Magatya in Mdantsane.
Pailman said it was too early to start beating the drums about the prospects of Ntwanambi reclaiming his former glory but was happy with his progress so far.
At 26, Ntwanambi, whose loss to Chauke remains his lone blemish in 10 bouts, has time to make the best of his career and scale the heights his potential promised.
“I do not want to put the cart before the horse and say he is back, but so far so good because he displayed the same performance he showed in sparring sessions,” Pailman said.
Ntwanambi could make a ring return in November, but details are being kept under wraps.
Daily Dispatch
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