Late bloomer Warren Joubert says he will not allow Grant "Fireball" Fourie to bring to an end his reign as the South African junior welterweight champion, not when it took him 11 painful years to become a champion.

Joubert has promised to fight until the bitter end in making sure that he retains his title against Fourie at Emperors Palace tomorrow night.

Joubert and Fourie were once stable-mates at Manny Fernandes's gym.

Joubert, who now trains under Colin Nathan, said: "The title is going nowhere. It will be fireworks.

"I once had a bit of sparring with Grant at Manny's gym. Yes, sparring and fighting are two different things, but I'm gonna be superb on Thursday. I feel I'm in the right place with a formidable team, headed by Colin Nathan."

Joubert has 22 wins, three losses and five draws.

The 12-rounder between Joubert and Fourie will form part of the "Young Guns" bill that will be headlined by a South African cruiserweight championship between holder Deon Coetzee and Kevin Lerena.

The tournament - another box-and-dine event - will be staged by Jeff Ellis of African Ring promotion. Ellis is the master of the box-and-dine concept, which has become the most viable boxing invention in South Africa.

Prospect Ladumo Lamati, Coetzee's stable-mate at Nick Durandt's gym, will test himself against experienced former Gauteng bantamweight champion Cebo Ngema. Action will begin at 7.30pm.