By Monwabisi Jimlongo
Vastly-experienced ring official Deon Dwarte is psyched up for Saturday’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight elimination bout between East London’s Sivenathi ‘Special One’ Nontshinga and Christian ‘The Bomb’ Araneta from the Philippines.
Dwarte is going to be the third man inside the ring when the two boxers square up in this much-anticipated shootout at the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino in Gqeberha. The winner of this bout is going to challenge reigning IBF junior-flyweight champion Felix Alvarado from Nicaragua.
Cape Town-based Stutterheim-born Clifford Mbelu, Jaap van Nieuwenhuizen and Jean-Pierre van Imschoot from Belgium are going to judge the fight.
“I’m feeling good, looking forward to the fight. I think this is going to be a good fight. I try to remain calm as possible before fights like these,” the Cape Town-born ring official said from his hotel room in Gqeberha.
It’s been a very long way for Dwarte, who started officiating more than two decades ago. He credits the late referee and judge Isaac Tshabalala for mentoring him.
“Things are great now. I think I’m blessed. I give credit to the late Isaac Tshabalala. I learnt a lot from him when he was still in Cape Town,” Dwarte said.
The 2017 Ring Official of the Year winner has also given credit to ring officials Eddie Marshall and Melvin Cross as well as former Boxing South Africa (BSA) Western Cape provincial manager Miki Klaas.
“I can’t express how much I appreciate what Miki Klaas did for me. When we first started he never gave us big fights in like three, four years. He assured us that we would get big fights as soon as we were ready,” Dwarte said.
“Miki never pushed us. He let us go in our own pace. He started giving us big fights when he saw that we were ready. I only got my first South African title fight in 2004.”
