Following a stunning stoppage of Ayabonga Sonjica in East London almost five months ago, South Africa’s oldest boxing champion Bongani Mahlangu is set to return to the ring to make the first defence of his national junior-featherweight title next month.
The 43-year-old Mahlangu from Boipatong in the Vaal, Gauteng, stopped Sonjica to win the SA title for the second time in July this year and is now scheduled to defend against Innocent Mantengu at the Cecil Emmett Hall, Vryheid, on Sunday, 18 December.
Mantengu, who hails from Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal, will be out reclaim the same SA junior-featherweight title he once held. Mantengu lost the title to Sonjica in September 2019.
Meanwhile, SA female junior-bantamweight titlist Thema Zuma is also going to make a first defence of her title when she clashes against Bathabile Ziqubu in the main supporting bout.
This is a rematch of the clash, which Zuma won via a unanimous decision when they fought for the then vacant SA female junior-bantamweight title at the Greyville Convention Centre in Durban five months ago.
