World title hopeful Azinga ‘Golden Boy’ Fuzile is happy to have delivered on his prefight promise and beat Briton Martin Ward.
The Duncan Village boxer scored a seventh round stoppage win over Ward in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-lightweight elimination bout at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, United States, on Saturday evening (Sunday morning SA time).
Fuzile, who reunited with his trainer Mzamo ‘Chief’ Njekanye earlier this year, decked Ward twice – in the fourth and seventh rounds.
A vicious right uppercut dropped Ward in the seventh round and he stood up only for his corner to intervene on his behalf.
“I didn’t disappoint. I said it before in the interview that I’ve all the tools to beat this guy,” Fuzile said.
“I think it’s not me alone, Chief helped me very much. I’m nothing without him, let’s give credit to Chief. We knew what we were doing.”
The 29-year-old Ward hurt his left leg in the seventh round and Fuzile went for the kill after noticing that.
The 24-year-old Fuzile quickly noticed that that Ward was hurt and he went for the kill to pick up his first win overseas.
Fuzile has now improved his record to 15 wins with nine knockouts and a loss while Ward dropped to 24 wins, two defeats and two draws.
As a result of the win, the former South African featherweight champion has earned the right to challenge for the IBF junior-lightweight title.
The IBF junior-lightweight title is vacant since American boxer Joseph Diaz lost it on the scales before his drawn fight against Tajikistan boxer Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in February this year.
Rakhimov is going to fight for the vacant title against Kenichi Ogawa from Japan in July and the winner will meet Fuzile.
