Round Two for the bombs away rematch
THERE is a feeling that the brutal bout Bongani Silila engaged in against Luzuko Siyo in 2013 did more damage to both than anticipated.
Silila and Siyo waged one of the brutal battles ever witnessed in the local ring with the former emerging a winner via a ninthround stoppage.
It was the kind of fight that shortens a career of a boxer and since then both boxers never looked the same.
Pitting Duncan Village against Mdantsane the bout was a bombs away affair from the first round until the end.
Silila came in as an underdog to the more illustrious Siyo who was a defending champion.
But Silila left the ring with a title although the scars from the bout were not immediately available until his following bout.
Although he managed to see off Loyiso Dayimani, Silila huffed and puffed before the fight was stopped.
Since then his career has seen a downward spiral losing the title to Mfundo Gwayana before regaining it by halting a scared Luyanda Mvula.
On the other hand Siyo moved up a division and suffered losses to boxers who would never have beaten him before.
Among Silila’s indifferent run was his draw against Luyanda Nkwankwa in December last year.
Again Nkwankwa would have never been able to stand toe-to-toe against Silila in his prime.
Silila returns to the ring on Sunday in a rematch against Nkwankwa at the Orient Theatre in East London.
The bout will form part of the Xaba Promotions headlined by the SA flyweight title encounter between Thembelani Nxoshe and Nhlanhla Ngamntwini.
The general feeling is that Silila is no longer the same inferno that blitzed every opponent.
There are unconfirmed reports that Silila was once offered to defend the title against Nkosinathi Joyi but he flatly declined the fight.
Interestingly Nkwankwa who held Silila to a draw was easily outsmarted by Joyi.
Whether Silila will put it all together against the unheralded challenger will be closely monitored.