Celebrated female pro boxer Bukiwe "Anaconda" Nonina says she just cannot wait for April 24 to end the reign of Maria Cecilia Roman as the IBF bantamweight champion and add her name to the list of great African female boxing achievers.

The first African female fighter to win an IBF strap was Noni "She Bee Stingin" Tenge, who won the welterweight title from defending champion Daniel Smith from New Zealand on June 11 2011. No African female boxer had won a legitimate world title before Tenge.

Coincidentally, Tenge is from Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape, the same province where Nonina comes from.

Nonina, from Dutywa, made her own history by becoming the first female pro boxer in SA to claim ownership of Boxing SA's championship belt, after making the required five defences. The former WBF champion also remains the only local female boxer to win the boxer of the year award back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. That was due to her achievements under trainer Emmanuel Mutavhatsindi.

Nonina - who has joined trainer Harry Ramogaodi - now can't wait to dethrone Roman. The 37-year-old champion from Argentina has held the IBF belt since 2016 and has defended it six times.

The biggest fight of Nonina's career to date will be staged by Fantastic 2 Promotions at a venue still to be confirmed.

Nonina said: "These are exciting times in my career. I am excited. I can't waste this golden opportunity. The best part is that I will be fighting here at home in front local fans."

Nonina has fought outside SA before, including in Denmark on January 18 last year, where she lost to Sarah Mahfoud in her bid to capture the IBF Intercontinental featherweight belt.