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Despite never
reaching the absolute top as an
amateur, with bronze in the 1999
All-Africa games perhaps his
biggest accomplishment,
Zolani Marali turned
professional at twenty-three in
February of 2001 with solid
expectations on his shoulders.
An awkward
southpaw with good power in both
hands, from Mdantsane in the
Eastern Cape province of South
Africa, Marali was nicknamed
“untouchable” and considered to
have a style probably more
suited for the paid code.
In reality he was headed for the
2000 Olympics in Sydney,
Australia when he tested
positive for cannabis and was
kicked off the South African
team. Not willing to wait
another four years for the next
Olympics, he decided to turn
pro.
From a family
of five kids, Zolani was mainly
raised by his single father, as
his mother left the family when
he was twelve. While things were
not always easy, his
hard-working father brought them
up well and was able to send the
children to school.
As a
teenager, Zolani was inspired to
take up boxing by his older
brother Mzukisi Marali, a world
class professional who
challenged for the WBC World
Light Flyweight crown in 1997
and fought
Peter
Culshaw
for the WBU title in 1998,
before the Englishman became WBF
World Champion.
When Zolani
made his pro debut on February
25, 2001 at the Mdantsane Indoor
Centre, stopping Andile Sota
(7-7-4) in six rounds, Mzukisi
was in the final stages of his
own career, and had fought his
penultimate bout just a week
earlier.
Inside eighteen months Zolani
developed into one of the most
promising prospects in South
Africa, and beat the likes of
Torina Ngqiyasa (11-2-1), Lulama
Titise (11-3) and former South
African national champion Xolani
Ndleleni (14-3-4) on his way to
a 9-0 (8) record and a crack at
the South African Super
Bantamweight title.
On November 15, 2002 at the
Graceland Hotel Casino in
Secunda, Marali prevailed in a
hard fight to dethrone reigning
title-holder Oupa Lubisi
(13-3-1) by unanimous decision.
After only ten pro fights, he
was already knocking on the door
of the world scene.
The following
April, Marali stayed busy with a
first round destruction of Zuko
Mtyongwe (12-2-1), and not long
after it was announced by
promoter Rodney Berman that he
would be thrown in at the deep
end against Argentinean Pastor
Maurin (47-5), on July 11 in
Carnival City.
On the line
would be the vacant IBO World
Super Bantamweight title, and
Maurin, who had lost on points
to
Michael Brodie
for the WBF World Featherweight
title the previous year, was by
far the best opponent so far for
Marali. But the South African
passed the test with flying
colors and prevailed by
unanimous decision.
Unfortunately, he lost the title
already in his first defense,
ten months later back in
Carnival City, when compatriot
Thomas “The Rock” Mashaba
(14-1-4), who had taken over as
South African champion, stopped
him in eight rounds in something
of an upset.
The loss was a major set-back
for Marali, but, while the ride
would be up and down, he had
many more big nights ahead of
him.
Before 2004 was out he regained
the South African Super
Bantamweight title against
Bonani Hlwatika (17-3-1), and,
while he was not as active as he
would have liked, kept winning
against good opponents as he
moved up in weight to secure a
shot at the IBO World Super
Featherweight title in July of
2008.
In Newcastle,
Australia he faced Billy Dib
(20-0) and floored the local man
in the third round, before
losing a close and highly
controversial decision. Many
felt Marali clearly deserved the
victory, and after protesting
the result a rematch was
ordered.
Dib chose to relinquish the
title rather than face Marali
again, so on April 2, 2009
“Untouchable” became a two-time,
two-weight world champion when
he widely out-pointed Mexican
Gamaliel Diaz (24-8-2) for the
vacant title in Kempton Park,
South Africa.
Five months later at the same
venue, again in his first
title-defense, Marali lost the
IBO World Super Featherweight
title to yet another underdog,
this time Ji Hoon Kim (18-5), a
hard-punching South Korean
nicknamed “Volcano” who was
riding a ten-fight winning
streak but not expected to
trouble the champion.
Kim stopped Marali in nine
rounds of a tough fight, so when
the now former two-time world
champion was somehow allowed to
fight Mlungisi Dlamini (20-0-1)
for the vacant IBO World
Lightweight title only six weeks
later it was no surprise when he
lost again, this time in the
fourth round.
At this point it would have been
easy to write Marali off, after
two devastating defeats. But in
April of 2010 he revived his
career when he upset hot
prospect Kgotla “Bang Bang”
Baeti (19-1) with a split
decision. Suddenly he was back
in the mix, and the best was yet
to come!
Marali was looking to get a
second chance to win a world
Lightweight title, but instead
he was sidelined and had to move
up in weight yet again. Finally,
in the fall of 2011 he secured
the big fight he was looking
for, against Ali Funeka (30-3-3)
for the vacant World Boxing
Federation (WBF) World Light
Welterweight title.
The fight took place on November
19 at the Monte Casino in
Johannesburg, on a huge bill
featuring six WBF championship
fights. Both boxers fought
valiantly in what was a close
affair, but in the end Funeka
got the nod and was declared the
winner by split decision.
Again believing he was
wrongfully denied victory,
Marali immediately called for a
rematch. Negotiations started,
but it would be more than a year
before the two rivals finally
squared off again, on December
8, 2012, at the Orient Theater
in East London (S.A.).
A few days after the first fight
with Funeka, Zolani´s brother
Mzukisi, his biggest role-model
and supporter, was stabbed to
death, bringing the entire
Marali family into turmoil and
grief.
His world in tatters, Zolani
would not have been in a state
to fight in the months that
followed, but he eventually used
the tragedy as his inspiration
and put everything into reaching
his goal of winning a third
world championship in his
brothers honor.
And win he did, taking home the
World Boxing Federation (WBF)
World Light Welterweight title
by unanimous decision after an
excellent performance. Zolani
Marali was far from done, and
now a three-time world champion.
Marali made two successful
defenses of the WBF World title,
both in East London. In
September of 2013 he out-boxed
Mzolisi Yoyo (21-4), and in July
of 2014 he edged former world
champion Kaizer Mabuza (25-11-3)
by split decision.
For whatever reason, a long
spell of inactivity followed and
Marali never lost the WBF World
title in the ring. His final
fight was in October of 2015,
losing a decision to undefeated
future unified world champion
(IBF & WBA) Julius Indongo
(17-0) in Namibia.
A former two-time South African
Super Bantamweight Champion, IBO
World Super Bantamweight
Champion, IBO World Super
Featherweight Champion and WBF
World Light Welterweight
Champion, Zolani Marali´s final
record stands at 24-6 (13).
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