Lusanda Komanisi is an honest man who deserves credit for being true to himself. His name is on the list of South African champions who won two national titles in two weight divisions.
The former featherweight champion added the lightweight strap to his collection over the weekend after dethroning defending champion Tshifhiwa Munyai on points in Kempton Park on Saturday evening.
All three judges scored the fight in his favour. Two of the three officials scored it 114-113 and 115-112. That is how close the 12 rounder was. The third judge’s score of 117-110 was way off the mark.
The fact that he was declared the winner did not cloud Komanisi’s overview. When interviewed by Brian Mitchell, who did live commentary for SuperSport, Komanisi said: "I am going to be honest, in my mind I thought the fight was a draw. But I am not a judge. I felt there were rounds that I won.”
He literally threw all the judges under bus. The fight was very close from a spectator’s point of view and in fact this was confirmed by the scores from two judges.
In the seventh round, Munyai landed a rabbit punch behind the neck that sent Komanisi down on his knees. The referee ruled it as a knock-down and gave a count. The truth is that it was a foul blow, which warrants a serious warning to the offender. Such blows put the lives of boxers in very grave danger.
The reason a rabbit punch is terribly dangerous, is because the lower area of the neck, which is called the Medulla Oblongata, is where the spine connects to the brain stem. Punching to this area is strictly forbidden, because it can lead to paralysis as well as catastrophic brain damage.
On the other hand, Munyai collapsed in disbelief that his reign had ended. “Lusanda came to my dressing room and said he did not win the fight,” said Munyai, who was bidding for the fourth defence.
In the main fight, Kevin Lerena won the vacant IBO Intercontinental heavyweight title on a 12 round unanimous points decision against Mariusz Wach from Poland, in a bout that never rose to any heights.
Upbeat Komanisi downplays victory
New lightweight champ says he expected draw
Image: SUPPLIED
Lusanda Komanisi is an honest man who deserves credit for being true to himself. His name is on the list of South African champions who won two national titles in two weight divisions.
The former featherweight champion added the lightweight strap to his collection over the weekend after dethroning defending champion Tshifhiwa Munyai on points in Kempton Park on Saturday evening.
All three judges scored the fight in his favour. Two of the three officials scored it 114-113 and 115-112. That is how close the 12 rounder was. The third judge’s score of 117-110 was way off the mark.
The fact that he was declared the winner did not cloud Komanisi’s overview. When interviewed by Brian Mitchell, who did live commentary for SuperSport, Komanisi said: "I am going to be honest, in my mind I thought the fight was a draw. But I am not a judge. I felt there were rounds that I won.”
He literally threw all the judges under bus. The fight was very close from a spectator’s point of view and in fact this was confirmed by the scores from two judges.
In the seventh round, Munyai landed a rabbit punch behind the neck that sent Komanisi down on his knees. The referee ruled it as a knock-down and gave a count. The truth is that it was a foul blow, which warrants a serious warning to the offender. Such blows put the lives of boxers in very grave danger.
The reason a rabbit punch is terribly dangerous, is because the lower area of the neck, which is called the Medulla Oblongata, is where the spine connects to the brain stem. Punching to this area is strictly forbidden, because it can lead to paralysis as well as catastrophic brain damage.
On the other hand, Munyai collapsed in disbelief that his reign had ended. “Lusanda came to my dressing room and said he did not win the fight,” said Munyai, who was bidding for the fourth defence.
In the main fight, Kevin Lerena won the vacant IBO Intercontinental heavyweight title on a 12 round unanimous points decision against Mariusz Wach from Poland, in a bout that never rose to any heights.
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