East London’s Orient Theatre, a venue many fight fans refer to as the home of boxing, has played a massive role in the fistic sport.
This is the venue where many battles have been won and lost. It’s a venue where dreams were realised while some were shattered.
This is the same venue where the late boxing icon Mzimasi ‘Bro Mzi’ Mnguni, who passed away at an East London hospital aged 73 on Saturday morning, guided most of his boxers to victory when he was still a trainer and even during his time as a promoter.
With Mnguni having gone the way of all flesh, it is then befitting that the Eastern Cape Boxing Promoters Association (ECBPA), Ubuntu Boxing Fraternity (UBF) and the office of the speaker at the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) have decided that the venue would be included in their plans leading up to the drive-trhu memorial service for the former trainer and promoter on Wednesday.
Orient Theatre is the same venue where Mnguni’s Eyethu Boxing Promotions staged many tournaments.
Number 1270 in NU 10, Mnguni’s first home after he relocated to Mdantsane from Johannesburg more than 40 years ago, is going to be the assembly point between 11h30 and 12h30 before proceeding to Orient Theatre.
Current and past champions will display their belts while amateur coaches will take their boxers through the pads.
Thereafter, a motorcade will proceed to Mnguni’s home in Vincent for a drive-thru memorial service, which will start at 14h00.
Meanwhile, the Mnguni family has announced that two funeral services are going to be held in Gompo, East London, on Saturday and MaZotshweni village, Alice, on Sunday.
Mnguni will then be laid to rest in MaZotshweni after a service, which is going to be held at his home.
