UThyssen uyayethemba indodana ekushayeni uBulldog
OWAYEYINGQWELE kwi-SA super middleweight, u-Andre Thysse, uyayethemba indodana yakhe, uBrandon, ukuthi ingakuqeda ukukhonya kukaNkululeko “Bulldog” Mhlongo oseliphathe iminyaka ibhande le-SA junior middleweight.
UBrandon (9-0-0) ohlezi phezulu ezilinganisweni zeBoxing South Africa (BSA) kwabagaqele ibhande likaMhlongo (15-5-0), uzoqhuthana nalo mpetha e-Emperors Palace, eGauteng, ngoMgqibelo ebusuku. Lezi zimpi zihlelwe yiGolden Gloves kaRodney Berman.
Sekunesikhathi kuvela ukuthi abaqeqeshi bakaBrandon, abaholwa ngumakadebona uHarold Volbrecht, bafuna esitikini uMhlongo kodwa u-Andre eyisabela indodana yakhe. Nokho utshele Isolezwe izolo ukuthi uncamela ukuthi uBrandon alwele ibhande laseNingizimu Afrika kunoyolwela amabhande angasho lutho ase-Afrika asezandleni zenqwaba yabashayisibhakela bakuleli.
Impi kaMhlongo noBrandon izobhulela amazolo enkulu yebhande le-International Boxing Organisation (IBO) cruiserweight elingaphethwe muntu ephakathi kukaKevin “KO Kid” Lerena noYouri Kalenga odabuka eCongo.
“Ngiyakholwa ukuthi uBrandon angayiwina le mpi. Unezindlela ezihlukene zokulwa ekubeni uMhlongo uneyodwa. Siyamazi uMhlongo kwazise sike sangcweka naye elungiselela ezinye izimpi zakhe,” kusho u-Andre.
“Kuzoba yimpi enzima kakhulu kodwa akusizi ngalutho ukuthi uBrandon abalekele ubunzima eNingizimu Afrika, alwele amabhande ase-Afrika. Akusizi ngalutho futhi ukulokhu silwa nabantu abakleliswe endaweni yesithathu noma eyesine ngoba akufikisani ndawo. Kufanele athole izimpi ezinzima.”
Emasontweni edlule uMhlongo utshele leli phephandaba ukuthi akaziboni ema imizuliswano engu-12 noBrandon ngoba usemncane kakhulu esibhakeleni. UMhlongo uzovikela ibhande le-SA junior middleweight okwesine kusukela aliwina ngo-2011 ehlula uPage Tshesane. Ubedonsa kanzima ukuthola izimbangi azovikela kuzona ibhande lakhe. UMhlongo uhluliwe ezimpini ezimbili zakamuva azilwe eGermany.
“Ku-Bulldog sibhekene nosathane uqobo, uqatha futhi uza kuwena sonke isikhathi. Unesikhathi eside kulo mdlalo. Kodwa ngokwami ngibona kufanele uBrandon alwe naye. Konke kusezandleni zakhe uBrandon. Le mpi angayenza ibe nzima futhi angazenzela yena ibe lula,” kusho u-Andre.
“Uma ehlulwa ngamaphuzu, kuneminyango ezovuleka ngoba uzobe eseke wayilwa imizuliswano engu12. Uma ewina, lokho kuzoba yinto enkulu kakhulu. Okungaba yinkinga wukuthi ahlulwe ngomngqimuzo womlalisa phansi ngoba kuzosho ukuqala phansi.”