Former professional boxer and now trainer Lionel Hunter says boxing is no quick fix and that it takes a real long time to produce champions.

The 56-year-old mentor has been training fighters since 2016 and produced his first champion last month when Paul Mangxilana won the Gauteng junior-lightweight title with a stunning 10th-round stoppage of Lucky Monyebane at Emperors Palace.

Hunter returns to the imposing casino venue in Kempton Park on December 8 where his other charge, Walter Dlamini, 38, will challenge current SA middleweight champion Wade Groth in a Golden Gloves tournament.

Dlamini, from Limpopo, is a veteran of more than 25 fights while Groth - a former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter - has less that 10 boxing bouts.

Groth, who is trained by Raymond Serfonteyn, was crowned as the interim champion in April after defeating Wynand Mulder.

"Boxing is not a quick fix. It takes years to produce champions but I know that Walter will be crowned a new South African middleweight champion on December 8," said Hunter yesterday.

"He is a dedicated fighter who works very hard.

"When I started with him he was too flat-footed. He has improved and fights on his toes now. Once we go past the seventh round, he will take over the fight completely."

The bout will form part of Golden Gloves' Repeat or Revenge bill that will be headlined by the second clash between ABU cruiserweight champion Thomas Oosthuizen and Thabiso Mchunu.