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fighters defend national pride

OUT IN FORCE: Zolani Tete and Jeffrey Mathebula, Michael Schultz, Moruti Mthalane and Klaas Mboyane will be in action at Wembley Arena on Friday night. Pic: Bafana Mahlangu. 17/11/2009. © Sowetan.
OUT IN FORCE: Zolani Tete and Jeffrey Mathebula, Michael Schultz, Moruti Mthalane and Klaas Mboyane will be in action at Wembley Arena on Friday night. Pic: Bafana Mahlangu. 17/11/2009. © Sowetan.

IT'S all systems go for Friday night's "Pride of Africa" boxing tournament, which will be presented at Wembley Arena by Branco Sports Productions.

IT'S all systems go for Friday night's "Pride of Africa" boxing tournament, which will be presented at Wembley Arena by Branco Sports Productions.

It comprises four titles - a national belt and three vacant WBO B-grade belts - and a six-rounder. Sixty rounds of action await fight fans on the night.

The main bout is for the vacant IBF flyweight belt between Moruti "Baby Face" Mthalane and Julio Miranda.

Klaas "The Destroyer" Mboyane will defend the SA bantamweight belt against Cleutus Mbele, while Michael Schultz and Zimbabwean Tineyi Maridzo will fight for the vacant WBO Africa interim super middleweight belt.

Zolani Tete and Anthony Matthias from Tanzania will fight for the vacant WBO Africa flyweight belt with Jeffrey Mathebula taking on Tanzanian Rashid Ally in the junior featherweights over six rounds.

Mthalane, Mboyane, Schultz and Tete assured fellow South Africans at a press briefing yesterday that they will fly the South African flag high on Friday.

Miranda did not turn up for the briefing.

Promoter Branco Milenkovic explained that the Mexican arrived in the country at about 11am but was delayed at the OR Tambo International Airport due to visa problems.

"They are already in the country and the fight is definitely on," Milenkovic said.

Meanwhile, Mbele will be ushered to battle by trainer Peter Malinga despite the fact that he left the latter's stable a few days after being stopped in four rounds by Mboyane on July 3.

Mbele's contract with Malinga is still intact.

Mbele has since joined Nick Durandt's stable but Durandt said he will not be in the corner.

Mboyane warned: "Either 60 or 90 days is waiting for him."

He was referring to the punishment given to a boxer who lost either by TKO or KO.

"I did it last time when we fought and nothing will preclude me from doing it again on Friday," said the highly confident Limpopo fighter, who is under the tutelage of Gert Strydom in Gauteng.

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