PE’s Bell aiming for top title
SA junior champ to fight Nxazonke
PORT Elizabeth golden girl Nozipho Bell will be fighting East London’s Sandiso Nxazonke for the African Boxing Union (ABU) international title on February 3. The venue is still to be confirmed. SA junior lightweight champion Bell, 24, had an impressive boxing season last year, easily defending her title three times.
She returns to the ring after four months after surviving an away title fight to last year’s No 1 contender, Ryder Muleba from Limpopo.
The Walmer Townshipborn boxer was forced to cut her break short and get back to training after receiving the news of the ABU title fight last week.
Bell hopes to be the first woman boxer from the Bay to become a two-time champion with the upcoming ABU international title.
“Our preparations have been going really well since we started with fitness training last month,” coach Caiphus Ntante said.
“We are on course to achieving what we want in the gym.
“This fight came as a surprise, but we will be ready to become two-time champions come match day.
“This is a huge title and it is bigger than the SA junior title that we already have because it will put us on a continental status.
“It will also boost our rankings in the World Boxing Federation (WBF), which is something that we have always been gunning for.
“Our aim is to have more titles coming to the metro that will uplift the standard of boxing in the Bay,” he said.
However, the hard-punching Bell will have an uphill battle when she goes toeto-toe with the current SA featherweight and former WBF Pan-African champion.
Bell has not had an opportunity at a title fight in the Bay and is hoping her home crowd will boost her confidence.
“I am certain that Nxazonke will not be a pushover,” Bell said.
“Fighting her will be extremely difficult for me.
“East London boxers are very good and they always have a point to prove when fighting in Port Elizabeth.
“They put a lot of effort into their combinations in the early rounds and I will be cautious about that,” she said.
She is still fighting under the Caiph’s Camp stable headed by Ntante. The pair are eyeing the best coach and boxer of the year categories respectively at the upcoming Boxing South Africa Awards ceremony to be held at the Boardwalk on February 2.
Bell has hopes of raising the bar even higher this year by breaking former SA lightweight champion Boniwe Nonina’s record of five undefeated fights.