It is all systems go for ESPN’s maiden boxing tourney on Thursday evening.

All boxers who will participate in the tournament were declared fit, healthy  and ready to rumble during the official weigh-in at EFC Performance Institute at Fourways, northern Johannesburg, on Wednesday.

That tournament will take place at the institute, with action starting at 7pm. The organisers are Walt Disney Africa whose director of sports, Kyle de Klerk, extended good wishes to Thembelani Okolo and his family.

Okolo, who has been reported missing, has led to the main bout being cancelled. He was to challenge Bangile Nyangani for the SA mini-flyweight title.

“We hope Okolo is safe and healthy because after all we are human beings and we care for each other,” De Klerk said. 

The fight card features a diverse range of the continent’s boxing talent which will be televised to more than 60 million homes across Africa and Latin America.

The action will also feature a non-title women's bout between SA's Gabisile Tshabalala and Malawian Ellen Simwaka.

The main event will see South African Koos "The Great Last Warrior" Sibiya taking on Botswana’s Steven "Small" Bagwasi in a junior-lightweight contest over ten rounds. Sibiya comes into this bout in high spirits,  eager to hand Bagwasi only the second defeat of his career.

Known for its premium broadcast production, ESPN is set to deliver a high-quality boxing viewing experience on ESPN (DStv 218, Starsat 248), SABC Sport and selected international broadcasters including ESPN across Latin America. The tournament's highlights package will be flighted on TKO (SABC 2, Fridays at 21:30).

“Embracing Africa’s rich legacy of boxing champions, ESPN Africa Boxing will showcase some of our continent’s best talent to a global audience which will hopefully give them a platform to progress and challenge for World Titles in the near future,” De Klerk said.

“We are thrilled to be hosting a line-up of stellar boxing talent this week, all of whom promise to deliver superb boxing prowess.

“From journeys to the stadium, to the action on the fields and in the ring, ESPN Africa broadcasts all the moments audiences love to experience, watch and follow together. The return of Africa Boxing continues our commitment to showcase nail-biting, exhilarating sporting action to viewers of all ages,” said Christine Service, senior vice-president and general manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa.