Bungu and Ncita host title fight

FORMER world champions Welcome Ncita and Vuyani Bungu will make their debut as boxing promoters next month.

Ncita-Bungu Promotions will promote a world title contest in East London on November 3 in conjunction with Xolani Jamani's X Boxing Promotions.

Ali "Rush Hour" Funeka will be making a first defence of his World Boxing Federation junior welterweight title when he squares up against Zolani Marali.

It's a fight that Marali says he has been looking forward to since Funeka outpointed him in Johannesburg last November.

And East London's Orient Theatre is going to be the venue where the two Mdantsane pugilists will get a chance to put to rest doubts over who really won on November 19 last year.

There was a lot of unhappiness after Funeka was declared a split decision winner during the clash at Montecasino.

Marali says he will beat Funeka and prove to all boxing followers that he was "robbed" in his first fight against his homeboy.

"I'm very happy that this fight is going ahead after what happened last year," the 35-year-old Marali said.

"I still believe that I beat Ali last year and he knows that, though the judges gave him the fight. I'm going to make sure that the judges don't decide the outcome of the fight this time around."

Marali is trained by Alan Toweel Jnr in Johannesburg.

Meanwhile, Funeka believes he won comfortably last year and says he will prove it again on November 3. "He's talking too much. I'm going to beat him once again and show people that I deserved to win last year," said Funeka, whose skills are honed by Dudu Bungu.