EC two off to big bouts abroad
Two Eastern Cape-born boxers, who remain the only ones holding WBF titles, will kick off 2019 with crucial bouts abroad.
WBF lightweight champion Xolisani Ndongeni travels to the US to face unbeaten prospect Devin Haney at Stageworks in Shreveport in Las Vegas, US, next Friday in a ShoBox televised clash.
A week later, it will be the turn of WBF bantamweight female champion Bukiwe Nonina to try her luck in Europe when she faces Dane Sarah Mahfoud, in Denmark.
Both boxers, who hail from KwaBhaca (Ndongeni) and Dutywa, are in for tough fights. Ndongeni, who is yet to lose in 25 bouts, faces a boxer who is tipped to take over the lightweight division.
Only 20 years old, Haney has been preparing for the fight at the Floyd Mayweather Boxing Gymnasium in Las Vegas, where Ndongeni once trained for a couple of months.
Under the tutelage of Luis Tapia, who also trains his boxers at the club, Ndongeni was hoping to breath life into his floundering career.
However, fights failed to come through, forcing him to return home, where he has gradually regained the form that made him a household name in national boxing.
“I have been training hard for this fight and these are the kind of bouts I want,” he said.
At 28, Ndongeni knows that a loss will set him back in his goal of winning one of the major titles.
Since the fight was announced, Haney has been grabbing media attention to demonstrate the huge expectations placed on his shoulders.
While Ndongeni has his work cut out, Nonina is not spared either, as she will have to move up to featherweight for her bout against Mahfoud, who is unbeaten in seven bouts with three stoppages.
The bout will serve as an IBF eliminator, meaning the winner will move straight to a world title shot.
The bout comes at the right time for Nonina, as she has just engaged in a rust-shaking encounter when she beat Babalwa Nonqongqotho a fortnight ago in Willowvale.
With three losses and a draw in 17 bouts, Nonina, who goes by the “Anaconda” moniker, is not fazed by the weight difference with the Dane.
At 27, she knows that she needs to grab every opportunity as it might lead to big things.
Although born in Dutywa, Nonina trains in Limpopo and fights all over the country.