Birthday boys do it for ‘Tata’
The two tournaments to be held in East London this weekend will celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday but it is the event at Orient Theatre on Sunday that seems to be following the theme.
Organised by Rumble Africa Promotions (RAP), Sunday’s event will feature Azinga Fuzile and Phila Mpontshane who are celebrating their own birthdays this week.
The main bout will feature Fuzile, who is celebrating his 22nd birthday this week.
Fuzile will engage in a vacant IBF Africa junior-lightweight title clash against Nigeria Waidi Usman.
As if that is not fitting enough, Mpontshane who will also defend his SA junior-lightweight title is also celebrating his 28th birthday this week.
“This is such a nice coincidence that the boxers are sticking to the theme of the tournament,” said RAP coordinator Nomfesane Nyathela.
While birthday wishes have been flying thick, there was no chance of munching on goodies as all the boxers chased the weight limits.
Some including Xolisa Magusha, who will engage in a rematch with Ayanda Ndulani in defence of his SA mini-flyweight title, appeared to be weight drained already.
“I am battling here and I cannot keep killing myself like this by fighting in this division,” said Magusha.
“I will simply knock out this guy again then see what I do next. My body is too big for this weight now.”
Nyathela said the boxers would celebrate their birthdays properly after Sunday.
“Fuzile’s case is concerning because whenever his birthday is coming up he always has a fight lined up so he has not celebrated his birthdays for a while now. But we will throw the mother of all parties after Sunday to reward the boxers properly.”
Mpontshane, who thrives on fitness, said birthday celebrations should follow after the success in the ring. “Right now my mind is on the fight so much so that I even forgot that my birthday was coming up until you asked me.”
He will engage in a title defence against Koos Sibiya in a fight that materialised through callups on social media.
While Mpontshane earlier expressed his wishes to go up to the lightweight, he says he can still make the junior-lightweight division with no hassle.
“I live by training and I do not mind getting up in the middle of the night,” he said after a video of him pulling bushes in a jungle as part of fight preparations went viral on social media.
Asked if he was trying to scare off Sibiya by posting the video, he said: “No I was trying to warn him that he is risking his life by challenging me.”
The fourth title on the afternoon will see Khanyile Bulana vie for Fuzile’s vacant SA featherweight crown against Free State’s Tello Dithebe.
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Azinga Fuzile celebrates his 22nd birthday this week. He will fight Waidi Usman