Gqeberha’s Owethu Rula successfully defended her Eastern Cape Female Flyweight title against Buffalo City’s Mihle Tuli at Tambo Village Hall in Kariega on Saturday evening.
The eight-round fight was the main bout of Sibongile Nkebe’ Silindokuhle Boxing Promotions Development bill in conjunction with the Eastern Cape Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture.
The women brought back the old days of tough competition between Eastern Province and Border and the fights between Nkosana “Happy Boy” Mgxaji and Terrence “Ace” Makaluza, Vuyani “Winder Boy” Nene and Odwa “Old Bone” Mdleleni also saw the fighters throwing leather from the first round to the last with boxing fans cheering them on.
A shorter and crisp punching Tuli (50,3kg) caught Rula (50kg) with a big right to the jaw in the second round and that spurred the champion on to provide fireworks in an action-packed fight.
At the beginning of the fifth round, a less experienced Tuli started to show signs of fatigue, throwing one or two punches and then holding. Up until the last round, it was anybody’s fight but the more experienced Rula convinced the judges.
Judges Prince Mbambaza and Nkosinathi Zamela scored the fight, 78-74 while judge Vuyokazi Ncata scored it 77-75 – all three in favour of Rula.
‘’She surprised me, I did not expect this from her,” said Rula after the fight. She said she was happy about fighting a southpaw for the first time in her career, and her trainer Caiphus Ntante constantly reminded her to start with a right hand and move to the left, to beat the southpaw.
The main supporting bout over six rounds was a humdinger, as expected, local lads Sanele Magwaza and Mbulelo Gwabeni gave boxing fans their money’s worth.
In a fight that provided clean boxing, throwing telling blows and showing good defence, Gwabeni showed more hunger and was declared the winner on points, and grabbed the opportunity to fight Ndikho Nyebhe, the number one contender for the vacant Eastern Cape title here in Gqeberha in February next year.
In another six-round bout, Bandile Daniels beat Aphiwe Magoniyane in the Jnr Featherweight division, while in the four-rounders, Siphesihle Mpolweni stopped Ayabulela Mngxuma TK03, Milanzi Gdorge beat Siyamkela Gqubule on points, Njongo Skweyiya TKO3 Masixole Ntunja, Maxhoba Paraffin beat Luthando Calata on points, Somila Jada beat Louis Phillip Jnr on points and Uyanda Mntongana beat Ayabonga September on points.
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