There is a veil of secrecy that has been thrown around the rushing of East London boxer Khanyile ‘Man Dee’ Bulana to go seek medical help in Cape Town early on Saturday morning.
Ink Sport can reveal that Bulana didn’t make it to the 7am flight booked for his return to East London from Cape Town on Saturday after he lost by a fourth round stoppage to South African junior-lightweight champion Lunga ‘Pressure Cooker’ Sitemela on Friday evening.
Instead of catching a flight to East London on Saturday morning, the 31-year-old Bulana was rushed to a medical facility due to ‘dehydration’.
Bulana, his trainer Kholisile ‘KC’ Cengani and assistant trainer Lowabo Witbooi arrived in Cape Town four hours before the boxer fought against Dordrecht-born Sitemela.
The loss to Sitemela was Bulana’s second successive knockout defeat as he was stopped in the first round by former International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior-lightweight champion Michael Magnesi in Italy in April last year.
This was Sitemela’s first defence of the SA junior-lightweight title he won when he defeated Sibusiso Zingange in May this year.
Cengani told Ink Sport that Boxing South Africa (BSA) was going to issue a statement regarding Bulana.
“Wait for a statement from BSA. I’m currently not in a position to talk about Bulana,” Cengani said.
Contacted for comment, BSA director of operations Mandla Ntlanganiso said: “Please wait until we release a statement regarding Bulana.”
Bulana’s problems started when he together with his team got stuck at the King Phalo Airport in East London on Thursday after fight promoter Jackie Brice of Jackie Brice Boxing Promotions failed to secure tickets for them on time.
The former SA featherweight champion and his team were forced to return to their respective homes on Thursday afternoon. They only flew out of East London on Friday afternoon and went straight to the fight venue after landing in Cape Town.
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