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It was a great evening for
professional boxing in South
Africa, as
Zantsi´s Showtime Boxing
Promotions
put on a huge bill with no less
than three World Boxing
Federation (WBF) championship
fights on
Friday
night, August 28, at the
Graceland Casino in Secunda.
In a clash for the vacant WBF
International Lightweight crown,
former two-time IBF world Super
Featherweight champion, and
former WBF Intercontinental
titlist, Mzonke Fana got his
career back on track with a
ten-round shut-out of Tanzanian
Said Zungu.
With little to do for referee
Darryl Ribbink, all three
judges, Sylvia Mokaila, Eddie
Marshal and Siya Vabaza had Fana
winning every round, scoring
100-90 across the board. After
more than twenty-one years as a
pro, Fana took his record to
35-8 (14), while Zungu is now
14-12 (9).
Having won the South African
national title in 2013,
Asandiswa Nxukwena advanced her
career to the next level by
defeating compatriot Raider
Muleba by clear unanimous
decision to lift the vacant WBF
Womens International
Featherweight title in
convincing fashion.
Judges Eddie Marshal, Darryl
Ribbink and Siya Vabaza scored
the bout 99-92, 99-91 and 97-93
for the new champion, who
improved her professional run to
4-1 (1), while Muleba drops to
3-4 (0). Referee in charge was
Sylvia Mokaila.
Another all-South African
encounter saw underdog Gabisile
Tshabalala make her
breakthrough, and win the vacant
WBF Womens World Super
Bantamweight title in a highly
entertaining see-saw battle
against former champion Unathi
“Showtime” Myekeni.
After ten rounds of non-stop
action, ending with the crowd on
their feet cheering, the very
close fight went to the
scorecards, with judge Eddie
Marshal scoring it even at
95-95, but judges Darryll
Ribbink and Sylvia Mokaile
voting in favour of Tshabalala
by 96-95 and 97-93. Referee was
Siya Vabaza.
Tshabalala, who lost a challenge
for the WBF world Featherweight
title to Shannon O´Connell two
years ago, improves to 9-1-1
(0). Myekeni, WBF world Super
Bantamweight champion in 2010,
goes back to the drawing board
with a 10-2-1 (4) ledger.
On Saturday night, August 29, in
Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon,
Mexico, Isabel Millan and
Cecilia Santoscoy tore into each
other for ten rounds to decide
the vacant WBF Womens
International Flyweight
championship on a show promoted
by Uppercut Promotions.
With high activity and with both
boxers landing often, it was
Millan who got the better of the
majority of the exchanges, and
as the fight went to the cards
judges Eleazar Luna, Juan A ngel
Garcia and Luciano Rocha scored
in her favour with tallies of
97-93, 96-94 and 99-91.
Millan, who could be in line to
challenge for the WBF world
title in the near future,
improved her record to 12-2-1
(7). Santoscoy falls to a very
misleading 2-3 (1), and proved
that she belongs at top level
despite less-than-stellar
statistics.
Also on Saturday night,
at the Club A2 in Saint
Petersburg,
Russia,
local southpaw puncher Denis
Tsaryuk laid claim to the WBF
Interim World Light Heavyweight
title, dominating Mexican
co-challenger Alvaro Gaona with
excellent body-work before
scoring a knockout in round
eight with a perfect left hook
to the liver. Time of stoppage
was 2:48.
Headlining a show promoted by
Andrei Tokarev, Denis Tsaryuk
improved his professional record
to 12-0 (10) and is now in line
to fight full world champion
Tony Averlant from France, who
is currently on the sidelines
due to injury. Alvaro Gaona
falls to 14-6 (9)
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