DOWAYNE Combrink lived up to his promise of not rolling out the red carpet for East London visitor Giovanni Bushby in their closely contested eight-rounder at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.
Combrink and Bushby went at each other from the start like dogs fighting over a bone.
Bushby dug deep to Combrink's midsection, but Combrink took those hard punches well and fired his own back.
It was anybody's fight after six rounds. Combrink upped his tempo in the last two rounds and impressed the two judges who correctly voted him the winner 77-75. The third judge was way off the mark at 78-74.
There were no knock-downs in this clean-fought bout that headlined promoter Jeff Ellis's Christmas Cracker - a seven-bout card, the last tournament for the year in Gauteng.
Combrink bettered his record to 11 wins against one loss, while Bushby suffered his fifth defeat in 10 bouts.
The night was warmed up by the impressive skills of eight-year-old amateur Sintle Ness, who was given a standing ovation after going through two rounds on pads with his father, renowned amateur trainer Nicky Ness.
The youngster left the box-and-dine audience in disbelief with his skills as he bobbed and weaved like a seasoned campaigner. Ness trains Sintle at the Booysens Boxing Club. His adopted son has already had more than 15 fights.
Meanwhile, Dee Jay Kriel made an impressive debut under new trainer Colin Nathan when he pulverised Donald Khetsane into submission in three rounds in a junior-flyweight bout.
Kriel's stablemate Percy "No Mercy" Mkhize lived up to his nickname as he punished Jimmy Hamela, also in three rounds.
Hamela had serious weight problems on Tuesday, twice failing to make the weight limit of 48.99kg and the skeletal boxer still looked like a zombie after tipping the scales at 49.25kg.
Page Tshesane froze in the six-rounder against Patrick Mukala, on his way to a fifth defeat.
Mukala, from the Democratic Republic of Congo but trained in Randburg, Johannesburg, by Ashley Fourie, chalked up his third win in South Africa.
Bushby no easy ride for Combrink
DOWAYNE Combrink lived up to his promise of not rolling out the red carpet for East London visitor Giovanni Bushby in their closely contested eight-rounder at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.
Combrink and Bushby went at each other from the start like dogs fighting over a bone.
Bushby dug deep to Combrink's midsection, but Combrink took those hard punches well and fired his own back.
It was anybody's fight after six rounds. Combrink upped his tempo in the last two rounds and impressed the two judges who correctly voted him the winner 77-75. The third judge was way off the mark at 78-74.
There were no knock-downs in this clean-fought bout that headlined promoter Jeff Ellis's Christmas Cracker - a seven-bout card, the last tournament for the year in Gauteng.
Combrink bettered his record to 11 wins against one loss, while Bushby suffered his fifth defeat in 10 bouts.
The night was warmed up by the impressive skills of eight-year-old amateur Sintle Ness, who was given a standing ovation after going through two rounds on pads with his father, renowned amateur trainer Nicky Ness.
The youngster left the box-and-dine audience in disbelief with his skills as he bobbed and weaved like a seasoned campaigner. Ness trains Sintle at the Booysens Boxing Club. His adopted son has already had more than 15 fights.
Meanwhile, Dee Jay Kriel made an impressive debut under new trainer Colin Nathan when he pulverised Donald Khetsane into submission in three rounds in a junior-flyweight bout.
Kriel's stablemate Percy "No Mercy" Mkhize lived up to his nickname as he punished Jimmy Hamela, also in three rounds.
Hamela had serious weight problems on Tuesday, twice failing to make the weight limit of 48.99kg and the skeletal boxer still looked like a zombie after tipping the scales at 49.25kg.
Page Tshesane froze in the six-rounder against Patrick Mukala, on his way to a fifth defeat.
Mukala, from the Democratic Republic of Congo but trained in Randburg, Johannesburg, by Ashley Fourie, chalked up his third win in South Africa.
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