Makazole ready to re-dedicate himself
yet wayward boxer Wanga Lobese, who was one of the special talents, even attracting East London promoter Xaba Promotions and Events.
But like any other impoverished area, Ilitha is also swallowing its boxing talent with unsavoury incidents.
That does not rob Magibisela an opportunity to be celebrated as one the special boxers to grace SA rings.
Magibisela held his own against he top junior flyweight boxers in the land.
Trained by Bobbin Sityana, the lanky boxer’s achilles heel was his lack of punching power, which made his fights a bit more difficult for him than they would normally have been.
For instance, in his second last clash against former world champion Nkosinathi Joyi at Orient Theatre two years ago, Magibisela easily prised Joyi’s defence open with crisp punches, but his lack of power allowed the former world champion to walk through everything he threw at him.
While Joyi finally forced a stoppage in the seventh round, Magibisela had provided a blueprint on how to beat the former world champion.
As a result, a bevy of boxers lined up to face the once-feared Mabhere, believing he was ripe for the taking.
Sityana describes his charge as one of the most down-to-earth boxers he has ever worked with. “Magibisela was like my son,” he said.
“I never saw our relationship as a boxer-trainer arrangement but to me he was a son and he treated me like his father.”
● Magibisela will be buried at his home in Ilitha tomorrow. — Boxing Mecca TALENTED Mdantsane boxer Makazole Tete has come full circle and he is now re-dedicating himself to boxing.
This was disclosed by the boxer’s reconciled manager Mla Tengimfene after the boxer returned home to end his spell in the boxing wilderness.
Makazole who is the older borther of current WBO bantamweight champion Zolani, left Tengimfene and his All Winners Boxing Club stablemates to join Dowie Mzini.
This occurred after a fallout between Tengimfene and Tete’s promoter Xaba Promotions and Events.
A highly skilled boxer-puncher, Tete appeared to have lost his sharpness amid stories of his bunking of the training sessions.
Although he chalked up five wins, Tete no longer displayed the same zeal and poise that had made people to even rate him above Zolani in terms of talent.
Instead he seemed to be engaging in the battle of the bulge, forcing his handlers to move him up to the junior bantamweight division.
A disappointing loss to Gideon Buthelezi for the IBO junior bantamweight crown capped his unimpressive run, leading to him bolting Mzini’s stable to join up with former world champion and legend Vuyani Bungu.
Bungu who is a strict disciplinarian owing to his own discipline when he was a boxer could not transfer his work ethic to the new pupil.
This even after sitting down with Tete and telling him that he was also putting his own reputation at stake by training him.
After only one fight the marriage was over and Tete was on the road again where he teamed up with Makwedinana Matiti and Miniyakhe Sityatha.
But a devastating near tragic knockout defeat to Filipino Jonas Sultan which saw him also parting with his WBO Intercontinental title, all but spelt the end of Makazole as a future world champion.
Despite all the hiccups XPE stuck with him and brought him back against Cletus Mbele.
However Tete never appeared to mend his ways and he came into the Mbele fight overweight forcing it to be contested in the catchweight division for which he scored a lacklustre victory.
Even XPE had had enough of his ways and cut him loose by vowing never to bother about him until he was maintaining a consistent training regimen.
Aware that his career was heading to the doldrums, Tete retracted his steps by going back to All Winners club which his sibling is calling his training home.
And now that he has reunited with his charge, Tengimfene has vowed to whip Tete back into shape.
So serious about helping him to recapture his form, Tengimfene proposed that Makazole goes to camp with Zolani in Johannesburg there the latter is preparing for his maiden title defendce against Siboniso Gonya of KwaZulu-Natal in Belfast, Northern Ireland on November 18.
“Makazole is in camp with Zolani and we all know that Zolani is a gym rat so Makazole will be as fit as a fiddle,” Tengimfene said.
Tengimfene said Makazole returned shortly after his brother had won the WBO world title in April.
“I think he realised that he had wasted his talent,” he said.
“Regardless of what other people may say the reality is Makazole was at his best when he was at All Winners. Now he has finally realised that and decided to start afresh.”
Tengimfene says his charge will be back in action soon but declined to reveal the date and the opponent.
In one of his best performances ever, Makazole ruthlessly knocked out Lento in seven one sided rounds to retain his SA flyweight title.
While Makazole realises that his career might be over if he does not mend his ways, it is yet to be seen if he can offer new dedication to the game, having openly pronounced his disdain for the sport.
But Tengimfene is willing to bet his house on the re-focussed, rededicated and recommitted protege. — Boxing Mecca