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Hillbrow boxing gym in trophy sweep

Andre Ward celebrates after winning his light heavyweight championship bout against Sergey Kovalev in Las Vegas, Nevada, yesterday. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Andre Ward celebrates after winning his light heavyweight championship bout against Sergey Kovalev in Las Vegas, Nevada, yesterday. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Unheralded Hillbrow Boxing gym won all trophies on offer during an amateur boxing tournament at Orlando Communal Hall in Soweto on Saturday.

The event was organised by Johannesburg Boxing Organisation.

The gym is run by lesser recognised trainer George Khosi, whose professional boxers are always taken as cannon fodders.

But Khosi took a back seat on Saturday because he hones the skills of professional boxers and instead allowed his assistants, who train amateurs, to man boxers' corners.

The 32-bout tournament, which featured 15 gyms including two from Tembisa and one from Midrand, lasted for five hours.

It was sponsored by the Palestine embassy, which bought all the medals and trophies.

Winners were presented with gold medals while losers had to settle for silver.

Three of Khosi's many fighters were voted best boxers of the day and were presented with special trophies.

Interestingly, one of Khosi's medal winners was a female boxer.

The tournament was attended by former champion Johannes Sithebe (Transvaal and SA non-white flyweight), Paul Molefyane (SA and WBF junior lightweight), Thomas Sithebe (SA featherweight), Johannes Miya (SA flyweight), Jerry Mbitse (SA junior featherweight), Quinton Ryan (SA junior lightweight), Jeffrey Mankune, Daniel Sereme, Sabelo Sithebe, Jacob Mazibuko and Mathew Zulu..

l Lusanda Komanisi has forfeited his IBO featherweight belt because the extension period he had been given to defend has expired, the New Jersey-based sanctioning body told Sowetan yesterday.

Komanisi's last title defence was on October 16 last year.

Other South Africans who also forfeited their IBO belts recently are Xolisani Ndongeni and Sharrodene Fortuin.

Ndongeni - who won the lightweight belt in November last year - was stripped in September. Fortuin also failed to defend her bantamweight belt which she won in August last year. She lost her belt in August this year.

IBO president Edward Levine explained: "Our champions should defend their title at least once every nine months, which may be extended for reasonable cause. Three to six-month extensions may be granted."

l Oleksandr Gvozdyk stopped Isaac Chilemba in the eighth round to retain his NABF light heavyweight belt at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in the early hours of yesterday.

Andre Ward dethroned Sergey Kovalev of his WBA Super, IBF and WBO light heavyweight belts via a narrow points win in the main bout.

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