Tenge to defend title against Kozin in Germany

Just when some doomsayers had predicted the end of the colourful boxing career of accomplished former dual weight world champion Noni “She Bee Stingin” Tenge, the sky has opened up for the country’s golden girl.

WBF president Howard Goldberg announced yesterday that Tenge will defend her junior-middleweight belt against WBF super-middleweight holder Emma Kozin in Pforzheim, Germany, on May 28.

“They will also be fighting for the vacant WBC Silver title,” said the Cape Town-based former boxing referee. “The winner of that bout will then face Patricia Berghult for the vacant WBF and WBC titles.”

Tenge, 39, has not fought since 2019 and pessimists concluded that the East Londoner was done and dusted as a fighter. Tenge remains the only female boxer throughout the African continent to win three world titles in two weight divisions. She has held the WBF and IBF belt in the welterweight class and the WBF belt in the junior-middleweight division.

Kozin, 23, has held the Women's International Boxing Association middleweight title, the same organisation’s title and the WBF belt in the super middleweights, and the WBC interim middleweight titles. She is ranked as the world’s fourth-best active female super middleweight by The Ring Magazine.

Goldberg explained how Tenge’s fight against Kozin came about.

“This show is mainly about a charity event involving Francois Botha and the former director of Porsche, Uwe Hueck, in order to raise funds for the Uwe Hueck Foundation in Europe. This is, in fact, the third time Botha and Hueck will do this charity fight.  The first of their fights was in Ludwigsberg, Germany, in 2015 and I was the guest referee.

“When Uwe Hueck’s team contacted me to be the guest referee for this third charity event, I insisted that they add a WBF world title to the bill and proposed the fight between Tenge and Kozin,” he explained