It was thought his boxing career was over after thugs shot him in the leg at his Khayelitsha, Cape Town, home in January 2018, but Mzuvukile ‘Old Bones’ Magwaza never gave up his hopes of returning to the sport he loves.
And he returned with a bang even though he still thinks his fight against Sanele Maduna ended so early as he hadn’t warmed up yet when he stopped the then unbeaten Ladysmith-born boxer at The Galleria in Johannesburg on Thursday evening.
The 31-year-old Magwaza whose career stalled after the shooting by thugs had last fought in December 2017 before Thursday’s clash against Maduna.
He dropped Maduna with a right hand in the second round and fight referee David van Niewenhuizen waved off signalling the end of the proceedings.
“The fight went exactly the way I expected it to be even though it ended early. I knew Maduna was going to put me under pressure in the first round. My plan was to defend and jab in the first round,” the father of two said.
“I was still warming up when the fight ended. Winning this fight means a lot to me because getting into the ratings depended on it. Hopefully, I will fight for the SA title next year or face some of our African brothers.”
The Duncan Village-born Magwaza has improved his record to 21 wins with 12 stoppages and three draws while Maduna dropped to four victories (two knockouts), a loss and a draw.
