Tribute to Sugar Ray ‘ ’
A former Komani boxer, Linda Lennet Zondani, will be laid to rest tomorrow after he died last week from a chronic heart condition, at the age of 49.
Sugar Ray, as he was known to Komani boxing enthusiasts, hung up his gloves at the young age of 24 after only four years of professional fighting.
“He was supposed to have been a champion,” said former bantamweight champion and longtime friend, Xolani Kemka.
“Sugar Ray was just a name which stuck, among many others - people did not know what to call him because he was that good, he was a boxer that had everything,” Kemka said.
Zondani cut his teeth early on in the sport, joining the Queenstown Boys Boxing Club (QBBC) at age 11, where he fought as an amateur for nine years before turning pro at 20.
“He used to be the youngest one at the gym, very dedicated.
“We used to ask him if his parents knew if he was there and he would lie,” Kemka said. There was no competition
“he did not attend in the Eastern Cape. After me, Sipiwo
‘ Destroyer Fuma was the Cape
’ bantamweight champion.
“Zondani was supposed to take over the reins.”
QBBC chairperson Mabuti Mapeyi said Zondani had left an indelible mark on the sport.
“QBBC is the oldest boxing club in Komani and in the wider Border region, and as a result has had a host of great boxers.
“Zondani was one of the best young fighters to be produced in Komani and had an excellent amateur career.
“The club sends condolences to the family, friends and all those in the boxing fraternity who shared the ring with him and watched him fight,” he said.
After retiring from pro fighting, Zondani joined the SANDF, where he served until he died. He leaves his wife and three children.