John ‘Section 29’ Bopape reckons that fighting in Russia away from home will give him a nice experience as he clashes with unbeaten Russian Vadim Tukov in an eight rounds bout on Friday.
Bopape, the reigning SA and African Boxing Union (ABU) middleweight champion, arrived in Russia last weekend ahead of his duel with Tukov.
“Preparations are going well. It is cold here, but we’re training indoors. It feels good and it’s a nice experience as it helps us engage with the outside world,” Bopape, who registered stoppages in his last five fights, said.
Bopape from Alexandra, Johannesburg, is using the Tukov bout as a keep-busy fight as he’s still looking forward to defending his national title at home.
He has so far defended his SA title twice since dethroning Nkululeko Mhlongo in April last year. Bopape defeated Ayanda Mthembu in March this year and Snamiso Ntuli in July last year.
Currently, there are only two boxers – Mthembu and Gauteng champion Donjuan van Heerden – who are rated in the SA middleweight division.
