Veteran boxer Mahlangu leaves Mzimela seeing stars

Evergreen boxer Bongani Mahlangu continues doing wonders at 43 when his peers are taking short walks on the beach which is a way of giving their legs required exercise.

The oldest boxer currently in the country – who goes by the moniker "Wonder Boy" – retained his South African junior featherweight belt with a fifth round knockout of 26-year-old Mduduzi Mzimela on Friday night.

It was not the outcome of their 12-round scheduled match which shocked about 200 fans at the Renaissance Hall inside SABC's headquarters in Auckland Park, but instead it was how Mzimela went down which left them gazing in disbelief.

A well aimed left cross to the chin separated Mzimela's brains from his body. Every single organ in his body seemed to have died, literally. His hands dropped to his knees, his neck hung loosely as if he had been shot and his body became stiff like someone who had been electrocuted.

His body viciously hit the deck and a deafening sound of silence filled the hall. It was a scary moment.

Referee Tony Nyangiwe must be commended for his swift reaction. He did not even bother to conduct the mandatory count but instead summoned ringside doctors and paramedics into the ring to deal with the situation.

It took them about five minutes to execute their duties and Mzimela opened his eyes although he seemed not to know who he was, what had happened to him and most importantly, he did not know where he was.

But that on its own was a huge relief to everyone including his trainer Bheki Mngomezulu. Some boxers have lost their lives in situation like that one, especially when referees still conduct mandatory counts and by the time they have reached the count of 10, a human being's life would long have been lost.

That brutal knockdown occurred in 40 seconds into the fifth round. Mahlangu won the title with a similar fashion from Ayabonga Sonjica, but in the sixth round last year at the age of 42.

The word from one of the ring side doctors was that Mzimela will be sent for thorough examination to determine if no serious harm to his brains was caused. In the meantime Boxing SA will give him an automatic 90 days suspension, which is informed by the "punishment" index. This is done so that the body can recuperate.

"The biggest mistake these young boys make when they fight me is that they look at my age and ignore that I have been around for many years and everything that I do from training to the actual fight is informed by my experience," said the ring veteran from Boipatong, who has been a professional boxer since 2006.

He turned professional after his return from Athens, Greece, where he represented SA in the Olympics in 2004.

"I walk, eat, talk and sleep boxing. I don't smoke or drink alcohol. I live clean and run a lot," said Mahlangu, who danced around the ring for almost the entire three minutes of round four, setting up tarps for Mzimela who fell into a false sense of belief that he was controlling the fight in that round.

The knockdown was Mahlangu's 13th in 25 wins against 12 losses while Mzimela from Esikhawini in Empangeni tasted defeat after six straight wins. 

Mahlangu's son Bheki Maitse paved way for his father's victory when he chalked up a deserved unanimous points decision after four rounds against Onteretse Seleke.

Donjuan van Heerden was crowned the Gauteng middleweight champion with a damaging first round knockout of badly hurt Nelson Mbhele. Their bout was scheduled for 10 rounds but it ended in just a minute and nine seconds.

Aubin Betu Ndala defeated Darrin Roussow in their topsy-turvy affair over eight rounds while Bukiwe Nonina cruised to a lopsided points win from eight one-sided rounds against Chiedza Homakoma in the only women match-up.

TLB Promotions' tournament kicked off the implementation of the three-year deal – live broadcast – signed by Boxing SA and SABC in September. The deal is about spreading boxing all around the country until 2025.