WBF title fight in CT this weekend

WBF fighters Mzuvukile Magwaza, the coach and Vusumi Tyatyeka the international light weight champion.

Announcing details at a media conference in Cape Town last week, WBF president Howard Goldberg described the fight as the most important boxing event ever to be held in the Mother City. He noted that the fight was scheduled to last 12 rounds and would be conducted strictly in accordance with the rules and judging protocols applicable to international WBF title fights.

In a supporting bout, Joseph Martey of Ghana will take on South Africa's Mzuvukile Magwaza for the WBF Africa title in the junior flyweight division. A further five professional fights - across all divisions and involving boxers from Gauteng, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape - will also take place on the night

Tyatyeka boasts an impressive record of 15 wins and two defeats with two knockouts, while Magwaza has an unblemished record of eleven fights with eleven wins and five knockouts.

Goldberg noted that while sanctioning primarily world title fights, the World Boxing Federation was committed to empowering fighters with great potential and affording them opportunities.

"A victory for Tyatyeka will move him that much closer to a world title fight. For Magwaza, the fight is even more crucial. We have managed to secure him a WBF world title fight in Malta at the end of July against a very tough Mexican fighter, subject to a victory being attained in next week's show," he said.

Sponsors praised

The Cape Town event is the brainchild of promoter Commando Kalekuzi, the owner and operator of Cape Town's Pound for Pound Gym. Noting that boxing tournaments had only taken place in the townships over the last few decades, Kalekuzi praised the sponsors, Sturrock Shipping and Calulo Services, for providing the necessary support to ensure that the event could be held at a venue that was bound to attract a much wider audience.

"Without the generosity and goodwill of the sponsors, this event would not be possible. An event like this encourages young fighters to work hard as they can see the opportunities that this presents," he said.

The choice of the venue, The Rotunda at the Bay hotel in Camp's Bay, is interesting in itself. Records reveal that the venue was frequently host to boxing matches in the early part of the twentieth century, following the construction of The Rotunda in 1904.

Andrew Sturrock, CEO of chief sponsor Sturrock Shipping, noted that there has been a resurgence of interest in boxing as a sport, both locally and internationally.

"Elsewhere in the world, boxing tournaments enjoy capacity audiences. Our support for the event on 8 June is aimed at ensuring that we put Cape Town on the global boxing map," he said.

The event takes kicks off at 7pm on Saturday, 8 June, with doors open from 6pm. Tickets are available from Computicket at a cost of R250, or R350 for the VIP enclosure.

View the programme.