By Monwabisi Jimlongo
The late Mzimasi ‘Bro Mzi’ Mnguni was more than a trainer to former world champion Welcome ‘Hawk’ Ncita.
A giant in world boxing, the legendary trainer and promoter, passed away at an East London hospital on Saturday morning. He was 73.
Alice-born Mnguni had been battling ill-health since he suffered a stroke in 2014.
And Ncita remembers the moments he spent with Mnguni when he was his trainer.
“It’s always shocking to hear that someone has passed away, especially if that person was close to you. In Bro Mzi’s case we know that he was ill for some time. One would say he has rested now,” Ncita said.
Ncita’s relationship with Mnguni started when he was still an amateur boxer. Mnguni was there when Ncita ditched his amateur vest to turn professional and he guided him until he became a world champion.
“It’s sad that Bro Mzi has passed away. There is a lot that he was going to do for boxing had it not been for the fact that he suffered a stroke,” the 55-year-old Ncita said.
“You would recall that Bro Mzi came to boxing and found former boxers, who were promoters. He came from nowhere and did the unthinkable by producing a world champion something which put East London on the map.
“He took me from the amateur ranks until I became a world champion through him and Rodney Berman. My situation with him was that of a father and son relationship. You can understand how I feel now. One just wonders what boxing is going to be like now that Bro Mzi is gone.”
Mnguni took Ncita to Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1990 to fight against Spain-born Frenchman Fabrice Benichou. Mnguni was, however, forced to return home two days before Ncita’s big fight after his shop was burnt down during riots.
“It was not nice. But we had gone through a lot of things together with Bro Mzi before that. He sat down with me and told me about what had happened. I asked him not to worry because I was confident that I was going to win the fight and bring the belt home. I did exactly that,” the former South African flyweight and International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-featherweight champion said.
Ncita made six defences of the IBF belt under Mnguni until he was dethroned by Kennedy McKinney from the United States in December 1992.
