“Makuliwe” – this is a war cry that was sounded by East London boxing trainer Thembani Gopheni ahead of his son Sivenathi ‘Special One’ Nontshinga’s fight against Filipino boxer Christian ‘The Bomb’ Araneta on Saturday.
The unbeaten Nontshinga meets Araneta in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight elimination bout at the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino in Gqeberha.
“We are ready for action. Sive is cool and relaxing ahead of this fight. I guess both Sive and Araneta wouldn’t mind even if they could be called into the ring now. We know what we are going to do inside the ring,” Gopheni said.
The winner of this fight is going to get a crack at IBF junior-flyweight champion Felix Alvarado’s title.
Meanwhile, Yanga ‘Showtime’ Sigqibo faces Jerald Paclar from the Philippines in a World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Intercontinental junior-bantamweight fight on the same bill.
