THE fascinating story of Sipho Taliwe's boxing career continues on June 25. Every time this national junior lightweight champion fights, excitement about his next bout mounts.
THE fascinating story of Sipho Taliwe's boxing career continues on June 25. Every time this national junior lightweight champion fights, excitement about his next bout mounts.
Taliwe, 27, from Aliwal North in Eastern Cape, made his professional debut in 2004.
He is trained at the Westbury Community Hall by Benny Pailman, Cliff Martins and Peter Faver. Over two years Taliwe has been undefeated in five fights with five stoppages. His crippling power earned him the monicker "Tsunami".
But he remained an enigma to most of the boxing fraternity. A bulldozer, Taliwe goes down but gets up and flattens his foes.
To date only Jasper Seroka and Gabriel Phakula, both from Limpopo, have outboxed him.
Then came Nicholas Modibeng, a product of Boxing South Africa's Baby Champs development programme. The lanky fighter, whose skills are honed by Winston Mokone in Mohlakeng, almost delayed Taliwe's challenge for national honours.
But the "Tsunami" swept him away in three rounds.
Taliwe then challenged Seroka for the national belt. He fought the fight of his life, his face bloodied and both eyes half-closed. He weathered the storm and succeeded in his coup. Once again the boxing fraternity still doubted whether Taliwe deserved his victory.
Some said Seroka was robbed while others, including yours truly, commended judges Amos Lusenga, Sazi Xamlashe and Tonny Nyangiwe for a sterling job by unanimously voting for Taliwe. Then Warren Joubert was touted as the ultimate champion, but Taliwe bludgeoned him over four rounds in April.
Still Taliwe has not been well received. In fact, talk is that Joubert's stablemate at Nick Durandt's gym, Godfrey "The Punisher" Nzimande, will end Taliwe's reign. They meet at Nasrec Arena on June 25.
Will the exciting one-man Taliwe show just end like that? The suspense is killing us all.
Will Nzimande stop Taliwe tsunami?
THE fascinating story of Sipho Taliwe's boxing career continues on June 25. Every time this national junior lightweight champion fights, excitement about his next bout mounts.
THE fascinating story of Sipho Taliwe's boxing career continues on June 25. Every time this national junior lightweight champion fights, excitement about his next bout mounts.
Taliwe, 27, from Aliwal North in Eastern Cape, made his professional debut in 2004.
He is trained at the Westbury Community Hall by Benny Pailman, Cliff Martins and Peter Faver. Over two years Taliwe has been undefeated in five fights with five stoppages. His crippling power earned him the monicker "Tsunami".
But he remained an enigma to most of the boxing fraternity. A bulldozer, Taliwe goes down but gets up and flattens his foes.
To date only Jasper Seroka and Gabriel Phakula, both from Limpopo, have outboxed him.
Then came Nicholas Modibeng, a product of Boxing South Africa's Baby Champs development programme. The lanky fighter, whose skills are honed by Winston Mokone in Mohlakeng, almost delayed Taliwe's challenge for national honours.
But the "Tsunami" swept him away in three rounds.
Taliwe then challenged Seroka for the national belt. He fought the fight of his life, his face bloodied and both eyes half-closed. He weathered the storm and succeeded in his coup. Once again the boxing fraternity still doubted whether Taliwe deserved his victory.
Some said Seroka was robbed while others, including yours truly, commended judges Amos Lusenga, Sazi Xamlashe and Tonny Nyangiwe for a sterling job by unanimously voting for Taliwe. Then Warren Joubert was touted as the ultimate champion, but Taliwe bludgeoned him over four rounds in April.
Still Taliwe has not been well received. In fact, talk is that Joubert's stablemate at Nick Durandt's gym, Godfrey "The Punisher" Nzimande, will end Taliwe's reign. They meet at Nasrec Arena on June 25.
Will the exciting one-man Taliwe show just end like that? The suspense is killing us all.