STRONG FOLLOW-UP
Tewo set to promote second boxing blockbuster at the Orient Theatre
The lone boxing promoter who braved the coronavirus by staging a tournament at the height of the pandemic is set to return with another show.
Happy Tewo of Tewo Promotions will again organise a tournament which he says will eclipse the maiden show he staged in December when all the promoters in the province were hamstrung by Covid-19 restrictions.
With all municipal venues closed due to the spike in the pandemic, Tewo could not be stopped and he sought a church hall to stage his first boxing tournament.
In the main bout former world champion Lusanda Komanisi knocked out Siphenathi Qambi to win the African Boxing Union lightweight belt to breathe life into his flagging career.
Komanisi will make a ring return when he defends his continental belt against Sinethemba Bam at the Orient Theatre on June 13 in Tewo’s second tournament.
The tournament, set to commemorate Youth Day, will be better than the first, according to Tewo.
“You can imagine what I went through in my first show when the pandemic was at its peak,” he said.
“I don ’ t mean to brag, but every other promoter cancelled their shows but I soldiered on. Now the challenges are minimal though Covid-19 is still raging. Other promoters are organising shows so you can imagine what Tewo Promotions will do.”
The arrival of Tewo in boxing promotion took everyone in the fraternity by surprise with some even questioning whether he would stay in the cut-throat industry.
But he said he was here to stay and his organising of another show within a year underscores his promise.
“I told everyone that I was here to make a difference in the boxing industry and I am a man of my word,” he said.
“My goal is to produce a world champion and I will not rest until I achieve it.”
While he prefers to operate with no strings attached — owing to a slew of contractual disputes in the game — Tewo is confident of guiding Komanisi back to the summit.
The continental crown Komanisi holds is the beginning of his ascent to reclaim former glory. However, all such plans may go up in smoke if the real Bam shows up.
Reports in Cape Town where Bam trains suggest that the once beaten boxer is spitting fire in training. Bam was one of the bright prospects in the game until he found the battle of the bulge more formidable than opponents in the ring.
He continued to grind out victories until his gamble failed to pay off when he was stopped by then unknown Lerato Dlamini who has yet to lose a fight since, having scaled the world ratings.
Tewo said the rest of the tournament would feature exciting prospects.