Bongani Magasela

Bongani Magasela

Good behaviour and togetherness in the spirit of boxing prevented a stampede during Black Seoe's seven-bout tournament at a small hall in the military base in Kroonstad on Friday night.

Appreciative sport lovers from various sporting codes, black and white, who gained free entrance courtesy of Seoe, crammed that 500 seater hall to witness three SA and two WBF title fights as well two four rounders.

Bright fighters, the evergreen William Gare, class act Bongani Mwelase, warrior Sam Malinga, twinkling star Mlungisi Dlamini, destroyer Khotso Motau, novice Tshepang Mohale, average fighter Colin Mayisela and Thabo Mashishi, who blows hot and cold, beautified the Robs Promotions programme.

These fighters came from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The tournament also involved two foreigners, Les Sherrington from Australia and Diego Alzugary from Argentina.

BSA, which sanctioned national title fights between Mwelase and Mashishi (welterweight), Motau and Mohale (super middleweight) and Malinga against Mayisela (junior welterweight), took the opportunity to extended its condolences to the families of people whose members were inhumanly killed last week during the xenophobic violence.

Board member Peter Ngatane did the honours. The well-behaved fans remained dead silent until Ngatane was done.

Then it was show time. Mwelase's well executed, damaging blows ended Mashishi's aspirations of winning the national belt two minutes and 56 seconds into the first round.

Malinga's resolve saw him just edge a comical Mayisela while Motau destroyed Mohale in seven.

Dlamini laboured unnecessarily for nine rounds against a poorly conditioned Alzugary to keep the WBF lightweight belt.

A poorly conditioned Gare had to dig deep to register a unanimous points win over a lion-hearted Sherrington to retain the WBF super middleweight title.

In other results Bongani Dlamini beat Peter Adams with a first-round knockout and Nelson Mtshali beat Ronald Parks on points