Sowetan

‘Azinga destined for greater things’

Ex-world champ Ncita vouches for ‘Golden Boy’

- By Bongani Magasela

Boxing icon Welcome “The Hawk” Ncita maintains that no current local featherwei­ght can defeat SA featherwei­ght champ Azinga “Golden Boy” Fuzile.

Whether Ncita, who is now a practising sangoma, was reading the bones or was just expressing his view on Fuzile, remains unclear.

Ncita, 51, was responding to a question about the outcome of Fuzile’s defence against Rofhiwa “War Child” Maemu at the Orient Theatre on Sunday.

Fuzile, from Duncan Village in Eastern Cape, is a sevenfight novice who holds the SA, WBC Youth and IBF Continenta­l featherwei­ght belts.

“Azinga is a rare talent and he can go places. I am not taking anything away from his trainer [Mzamo Njekanye] but I can tell you that the way the boy fights is through natural instincts. He is very clever and smart,” said Ncita yesterday.

“Azinga waits for you to commit and punishes you right there. He is such a wonderful boxer with sharp eyesight, and his timing is just perfect.

“That is why I say without fear that there is no local boxer in his weight division who can currently beat him.”

Ncita knows Maemu well – the boxer from Venda who is trained in Johannesbu­rg by Alan Toweel Junior.

“I saw him when he beat Lwandisa Zinto in 2015, but I still maintain what I said earlier on. The only way Azinga will lose a fight is when he gets caught with a haymaker and goes down for good,” said Ncita, the first local boxer in history to win the IBF belt in 1990. Ncita retired in 1998 with a record of 21 knockouts in 40 wins against three losses and a draw.

Fuzile’s fight on Sunday will be staged by Rumble Africa Promotions of promoter Thembaleth­u Ntuthu.

 ?? / MARK ANDREWS ?? Azinga Fuzile, right, gets the better of Macbute Sinyabi at the Orient Theatre in an exciting SA featherwei­ght title clash in September last year.
/ MARK ANDREWS Azinga Fuzile, right, gets the better of Macbute Sinyabi at the Orient Theatre in an exciting SA featherwei­ght title clash in September last year.

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