Nhlanhla Tyirha is targeting big fights, including the SA title, after beating Tanzanian Sunday Kiwale in a snoozer at East London’s Orient Theatre at the weekend.
The bout, the approval of which raised question marks over the Tanzanian’s poor record and credentials, never rose to any heights as Tyirha fought cautiously and was reluctant to commit to a sustained offence.
Instead, the Mdantsane southpaw fought like he had a prime Mike Tyson in front of him despite Kiwale coming with 15 losses and five draws with just 20 wins.
The 40-year-old never beat a boxer with a winning record in his last nine bouts and had been juggling between the mini-flyweight and junior-bantamweight divisions, which led him to ask for the fight to be contested at catchweight.
Though Tyirha was expected to easily put Kiwale in his place, the fight instead devolved into a chess match with both boxers content to feign their way while throwing punches to the air with very little action.
Tyirha would burst into action in only the last 10 seconds of each round.
However, his gun-shyness since suffering his first and only knockout loss at the hands of another journeyman, George Kandulo, was evident as he would scurry for cover every time Kiwale launched an attack.
The Tanzanian stunned Tyirha with a big right hand in the fifth, forcing him to run for dear life with the visitor in hot pursuit.
Besides that scare, Kiwale proved that he was a boxer brought to help Tyirha get back to winning ways after losing his last fight against Zimbabwean Beaven Sibanda in controversial circumstances in April.
The Tanzanian celebrated going the distance as if he had just scored a thrilling knockout victory.
The judges scored Tyirha 100-90 twice and 99-92.
Tyirha’s tendency to fight to the level of his opponents has been his Achilles heel and a hindrance to his quest to reclaim his former glory.
But his trainer, Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye, took some positives from the bout, insisting Kiwale was a perfect opponent in Tyirha’s rebuilding campaign.
“We wanted someone who would make us think, and Kiwale gave us that,” he said.
“I was glad when we survived that right hand, and Tyirha admitted between rounds that the punch hurt him, but he was able to ride it out.”
Njekane lamented Tyirha’s low SA rating, arguing that he deserved a better spot to accelerate his challenge of the title.
“We want the SA title, but until we are in the mandatory spot, I do not think they would give us a chance.”
The win stretched Tyirha’s fight record to 10 with three losses.
Tyirha’s stablemate, Avuyile Soga, was stopped in the second round by Nqaba Dantitle in a mini-flyweight clash.
Daily Dispatch
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