Trainer Samson Ndlovu is caught between a rock and a hard place.

His boxer Mapule "Thunder" Ngubane has been offered a WBF fight against junior middleweight champion Noni "She Bee Stingin" Tenge on August 25.

Ngubane, however, has gone home to Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, to bury her mother. She will only begin training on Monday - less than a week to fight date.

Ndlovu is against Ngubane taking the fight due to lack of fitness and the fact that she would still be in mourning. But he said he can't stop her because she was a breadwinner at home.

Zbashy Promotions will stage the fight at Mdantsane Indoor Centre. Promoter Sbongile Matiti wants her tournament to be part of the Women's Month celebrations.

"Everything is against us - time and mental preparedness; she is still in mourning," said Ndlovu yesterday.

"I can't stop her. She needs the money. "

Ndlovu would prefer she doesn't fight this soon after losing her mother.

"I think getting inside the ring is just not on for her now but if she goes ahead with the fight I must support her all the way; we are in this together."

Ndlovu lamented scarcity of women's fights in SA, saying female boxers get opportunities in August because of its recognition as a Women's Month.

"I honestly did not want us to lose again to Noni because she has defeated us twice before."

Tenge defeated Ngubane in 2017 and also in March this year.

"Both fights were on short notice. It was even worse in our last fight because we could only do pad work. Time was not on our side.

"We took it simply because of lack of fights, especially in her weight division."

Ngubane is the only boxer in the middleweight division in the May issue of the SA ratings. She won the national junior middleweight title in 2014 from Esther Matshiya, and made one defence which was a draw with Matshiya in 2016.