Mboyane vows to stop Tembo in four

Bones could crack in the international non-title bantamweight bout between diminutive, explosive and hard-hitting combatants Klaas "Iron Man" Mboyane and Tapiwa "Little Finnix" Tembo at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, tonight.

This 10-rounder between Mboyane from Limpopo and Zimbabwean Tembo will headline the six-bout box-and-dine event promoted by BRD Promotions.

The tournament, sponsored by the Gauteng government, marks the return of live boxing on both SABC television and radio.

The match-up between Mboyane and Tembo has the potential to be exactly what the doctor ordered for the return of live boxing to SABC2.

Mboyane goes into this bout highly motivated, after capturing the WBO International belt in the UK recently.

If experience is anything to go by, then he should overwhelm Tembo since Mboyane boasts 18 wins from 32 bouts.

Tembo, whose ring name actually refers to the legendary phoenix, is a formidable fighter in his own right, having chalked up eight wins from 11 fights.

Mboyane, Tembo and the other participants in this tournament came face-to-face at the weigh-in yesterday.

Said Mboyane: "I just hear about this guy . I don't know him. I don't think he is a special boxer for me. This will be bread and butter for me ... I am ending it in round four."

Tembo responded by saying: "I've been waiting for this match-up for a long time. I have always wanted this fight. I know he's got more experience than me but I am ready for him.

"He says he will knock me out yet he does not even know me. I will come out and prove myself. I am coming 120% ready."

The first bout to go live on SABC Sport at 9.30pm is the international featherweight six-rounder between female fighters Nathaline Banie from Ghana and Raider Muleda from Limpopo.

It will be followed by the 10-rounder for the vacant Gauteng middleweight belt between Walter Dlamini and Tebogo Malose.

There are good undercard bouts featuring the likes of former IBO All Africa lightweight champion Jason Bedeman as well as Congolese boxer Raymond Kupula.