By Chris Totobela
Last weekend, two local professional boxers from Mfuzo Boxing camp travelled to Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) to take part in a competitive boxing tournament.
Siphesihle “Ben 10” Mpolweni and Njongo “Fireblows” Skweyiya were part of the bill held at Thambo Village Hall in Kwanobuhle.
Both boxers fought in the junior featherweight division.
Remarkably, both scored their victory in the third round of their respective bouts, a rare occurrence.
Skweyiya fought Masixole Ntunga who started the fight cautiously, choosing his punches very well in the first round. In the second round he started dominating the fight, using his hard-punching style of boxing effectively. However, in the third round, Ntunga succumbed to solid body blows, allowing Skweyiya to emerge victorious.
Mpolweni’ s bout against Ayabulela Mngxuma was tough, but the local fighter threw the most accurate blows in the first round. In the second round, Mpolweni started well but a lapse of concentration got him into trouble as he was caught by a solid punch and kissed the canvas. He, however, managed to beat the count and finished the round. He came back very strongly in the third round and outboxed Mngxuma, who left the referee with no chance but to stop the fight in favour of Mpolweni.
This was a good outing for the local boxers who will return to training while waiting for their next move.
Simo “Mawawa” Ndyoko, who manages both boxers, was pleased with their performance. “I think both boys fought very well. They are fit, smart and in good shape and it is not surprising to see them doing what they did in Kariega.”
