Cowin Ray has made tremendous recovery from his drug addiction, and the 26-year-old soft-spoken boxer has crowned his new chapter in life by winning the South African super middleweight belt, which will be at stake against Andile Mntungwa in Fourways next Thursday evening.

Ray wants to use his success as some form of motivation to other people who are still trapped in drugs. “Coco”, as retired heavyweight boxer Basil “No Apologies” Ray's son is known, will actually be making his mandatory defence against the KwaZulu-Natal No.1 contender.

Their fight will be one of the two titles that will feature in Disney Walt Africa’s tournament to be televised live by ESPN Africa from the ECF Performance Institute.

Ray won the then vacant national title with a ninth-round demolition of Frank Rodriquez on September 29 last year, and the champion is undefeated after seven fights. He is trained in Pretoria by former multiple world boxing champion Sebastiaan Rothmann.

“I do know Andile and I have seen footage of him fighting Lee Dyer when he won the WBF African title,” Ray said yesterday. “I feel like he’s a bit slow and I feel that is where I will capitalise with speed. It’s a fight we have to take. I am excited and I want to see how far I can go.

“Sebastiaan Rothmann has been teaching me new things in our training camp and what my strength and condition coach Naat Loubser has also done has made me a lot stronger, explosive and my speed is brilliant. I think the fight is going to be exciting to the fans.”

Promoter Sfiso Shongwe says he is awaiting the long anticipated return of Mzuvukile “Old Bones” Magwaca, whose promising career seemed to have ended after thugs shot him during a robbery at his house in Khayelitsha in 2018.

Magwaca was destined for greater heights. The former WBF, IBF Intercontinental and WBA International bantamweight champion will be involved in a six-rounder.

Shongwe says Magwaca is now trained by Mike Mounenien of Cry Fighting Academy in Cape Town. “I reached out to him after I heard that Magwaca was back in the gym,” said Shongwe.

In another title fight, Bangile Nyangani will put the national mini-flyweight title on the line against Loyiso Ngantweni. There will be six more fights.