Lunga ‘Pressure Cooker’ Sitemela will be leaving for Botswana next week as he wants to make history by becoming the first boxer from the small Eastern Cape town of Dordrecht to win a world title.
Sitemela outdid himself when he put Dordrecht, which is in the Chris Hani District, on the boxing map after he won the South African junior-lightweight title following a 10th round stoppage of Sibusiso Zingange in May last year.
Now he is looking at adding another feather in his cap by winning the World Boxing Federation (WBF) junior-lightweight title when he challenges Botswana boxer Steven Bagwasi at the Grand Palm in Gaborone on Friday next week.
“I’m fit and ready for whatever my opponent is going to throw at me next week. I’m going to play my part, work hard and make sure that I win the fight. Hopefully, my opponent is fit,” Sitemela said.
Bagwasi, who is a regarded as a superstar in his homeland, won the WBF title after he defeated Said Chino from Tanzania at the University of Botswana Indoor Sports Centre in Gaborone last August.
Cape Town-based Sitemela will go to the Bagwasi fight on the back of a fourth round stoppage win over Khanyile Bulana during his first SA junior-lightweight title defence in November last year.
The 31-year-old Sitemela will become the fifth South African boxer to face off with Bagwasi, who has beaten Koos Sibiya, Xolani Mgidi and the late Anthony Maloisane. Former SA lightweight champion Ayanda Nkosi remains the only South African boxer to have prevailed against the 28-year-old Bagwasi.
Sitemela has an impressive record of 15 victories (nine knockouts) and a loss while Bagwasi has registered eight wins (two stopages) and a defeat.
