UNdongeni ongalilahlile ithemba uhlanganiselwa impi
UHLALELE ethembeni ngekusasa lakhe phesheya kwezilwandle owayengumpetha we-International Boxing Organisation (IBO) Lightweight, uXolisani “Nomeva” Ndongeni, okubhekwe ukuthi aphephezelisele phezulu ifulegi laseNingizimu Afrika.
UNdongeni (23-0) ufulathele uMzansi ngo-Agasti nyakenye wayojoyina iBanner Promotions ka-Arthur Pelullo nemenenja uLuis Tapia onobudlelwano nowayengumpetha womhlaba uFloyd “Money” Mayweather. UNdongeni wase-Eastern Cape ujima ejimini kaMayweather, iMayweather Boxing Gym e-US. Kusukela efikile phesheya uNdongeni akakaze ayithole impi phezu kokuba efike abaphathi bakhe abasha bemthwele ngeqoma, bebabaza ikhono lakhe ikakhulukazi njengoba engakaze ahlulwe ezimpini ezingu-23.
Ngaphambi kokusayina neBanner Promotions, uNdongeni ushiye abathandi bamankomane phesheya kwezilwandle bengawuvali umlomo ehlula ngamaphuzu uJuan Mendez waseMexico empini ebise-USA ngo2016. Ngaleso sikhathi ubengaphansi kweGolden Gloves Promotions kaRodney Berman.
“Kukhona impi abaphathi bami abayihlanganisayo, esibheke ukuthi ngiyilwe ngoMashi. Ngiyethemba ukuthi kuzokwenzeka ngoba yilokho engikufisayo kusukela ngiwelele phesheya,” kusho uNdongeni.
NgoDisemba nyakenye uNdongeni ujabulise abalandeli bakhe base-East London ezidlela amahlanga evukaneni uYohane Banda laseMalawi, eqeda ngalo emzuliswaneni wesithathu.
Khona manjalo, inhlangano yesibhakela emhlabeni, iWorld Boxing Federation (IBF) isiphoqe umpetha wayo omusha uRyoichi Taguchi waseJapan ukuthi avikele ibhande lakhe kumshayisibhakela wakuleli uHekkie “Hexecutioner” Budler. UTaguchi uwine ibhande le-IBF ekupheleni kwenyanga edlule ehlula uMilan Melindo wasePhilippines obekade elivikele ngempumelelo kuBudler. Impi kaMelindo noBudler ilandelwe yizinkonondo eziningi ebezibhekiswe kunompempe obesolwa ngokwenzelela. Umqeqeshi kaBudler, uColin “Nomakanjani” Nathan uzwakalise ukungenami kwakhe kumengameli we-IBF uDaryl Peoples. Ukuba ibhande le-IBF belisaphethwe nguMelindo, impi ibizobuyela eringini. Nokho ikhona likaBudler, okleliswe endaweni yesithupha yi-IBF, alijabule ngenxa yokuthi le mpi ingase ibe seJapan.