Twenty-four aspirant boxers will take a step towards mapping out their future in the fistic sport this weekend, thanks to promoters Rodney Berman and Jeff Ellis.

They announced yesterday that they would stage 12 four-round bouts at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park on Sunday.

The tournament is dubbed "Prospects at the Palace" and could be a great stepping stone for the young fighters from Gauteng gyms.

"If we do not do development tournaments, then there is no elite class of fighters," said Berman, whose Golden Gloves company is responsible for the Rasodi Strongman Series.

It is through that development programme that Paul Kamanga was discovered. The Congolese, trained in Gauteng by Anton Gilmore, has gone on to win the WBA Pan African junior welterweight belt.

The tournament on Sunday will feature promising youngsters, Joshua "KO" Studdard, Nyelisani "Rose of Limpopo" Thagambega, Dee Jay Kriel and Thulani Mbenge.

Studdard is the nephew of late Transvaal junior middleweight champion Cameron "Kangaroo" Adams and is trained by Warren Hulley.

Thagambega is the stylish dresser from Limpopo, who is trained in Gauteng by Harold Volbrecht, while Kriel hails from Colin Nathan's HotBox Gym, where he and Studdard give quality sparring to IBO and WBA strawweight champ Hekkie Budler.

Mbenge, a former Olympian from Mdantsane, is guided in Gauteng by Sean Smith.

Action will begin at noon.