Azinga ‘Golden Boy’ Fuzile’s trainer Mzamo ‘Chief’ Njekanye has said that their fight plan worked perfectly when Fuzile beat Briton Martin Ward during their International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-lightweight eliminator at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, United States, on Saturday evening (Sunday morning SA time).
Fuzile, who reunited with Njekanye as his trainer after leaving Colin Nathan’s Hot Box Gym earlier this year, delivered on his prefight promise and stopped Ward in the seventh round. The 24-year-old dropped Ward twice – in the fourth and seventh rounds.
“We were in a battle. Our fight plan was perfect. The fight went according to our plan,” Njekanye said on Sunday morning.
“I don’t know what their plan was. Actually, I don’t care what their plan was. We knew what we were going to do and we did exactly that. We planned to be patient and then hit him at right moments.”
Fuzile has now improved his record to 15 victories with nine stoppages and a loss while Ward dropped to 24 wins, two losses and two draws.
As a result of the win, the former South African featherweight champion will challenge for the IBF junior-lightweight title.
The vacant title is going to be contested by Tajikistan boxer Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and Kenichi Ogawa from Japan in July. The winner will then meet Fuzile.