Zingange takes belt with ease

South Africa has a new super-featherweight champion. He comes in the form of the gallant Sibusiso Zingange following his courageous deposing of Phila Mpontshane at the EFC Performance Institute in Fourways, north of Jozi, on Thursday night.

Zingange gave the defending champion little respect. The bout that went the 12 rounds distance, he gracefully topping the six-time holder of the national title.

From the first bell, Zingange looked determined to wrestle the belt from his opponent and he had an energetic crowd of supporters vigorously applauding him whenever he pummelled Mpontshane with right hooks and upper cuts. Zingange won by a unanimous decision but the defending champion tried in vain to put up a brave fight only to fall short as his achilles heel was his failure to match the new champion’s work rate.

Mpontshane, 31, who has held the title for six years since 2016, was unsettled by Zingange and made to look ordinary and in the end, finished the fight with a heavily bruised face and closed left eye.

Observers on the night predicted either a knockdown or a knockout as on a number of instances Mpontshane looked dazed and the referee had to ask him if he wanted to continue. He nodded positively, though at times he frustrated Zingange by holding him to avoid further punishment.