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marali faces ji hoon kim

GIFTED: Zolani Marali. Pic. Peter Mogaki. 31/10/2004. © Sowetan.
GIFTED: Zolani Marali. Pic. Peter Mogaki. 31/10/2004. © Sowetan.

BRIAN Mitchell ruled the junior lightweight division locally and abroad, now it is the turn of Zolani Marali.

BRIAN Mitchell ruled the junior lightweight division locally and abroad, now it is the turn of Zolani Marali.

Quite possibly the best South African boxer of all time, Mitchell won the WBA junior lightweight title in 1986, defended it 12 times, added the IBF strap in 1991 and retired undefeated as a world champion in 1995.

Mitchell now manages the boxing career of "Untouchable" Marali, the former SA, IBO and WBF super bantamweight and junior lightweight champion . He is one of the division's finest boxer-punchers in the country. Marali, from Mdantsane in Eastern Cape, holds the IBO junior lightweight belt that he won in April.

The 32-year-old southpaw who is based in Gauteng where his fighting skills are perfected by trainer Colin Nathan, will defend against Ji Hoon "Volcano" Kim on September 15 at Emperors Palace. This South Korean holds the Pan-Asian featherweight belt and has 18 wins (15 KOs), five defeats and one draw. Marali fights under the Golden Gloves banner of promoter Rodney Berman.

Mitchell warned that anything can happen in six months from now regarding the vacant WBC belt, and Marali has already set his sights on it.

"I want to be the first boxer from Mdantsane to win the WBC title," Marali said, who is rated sixth by the WBC.

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