Hloks Ramagole has said that anyone who’s looking for the real Mecca of Boxing should look no further than Gauteng province. 

Ramagole, who is the Boxing South Africa (BSA) manager in Gauteng, strongly argues that his province has proven a number of times that it’s indeed the real Mecca of Boxing unlike the Eastern Cape as most fight fans would like to think and believe.

Fresh from hosting a successful World Boxing Council (WBC) bridgerweight title fight between reigning champion Kevin Lerena and Serhiy Radchenko from war-torn Ukraine on Thursday last week, Ramagole is adamant that the debate should be put to rest. 

“Gauteng has done it again, cementing once and for all, why we are undisputedly the real Mecca of boxing. May 1st will no longer just be another public holiday in the pugilist family, it now stands as a historic date in African boxing,” Ramagole wrote on his Facebook page. 

“At SunBet Arena, a venue that holds 8,000, we saw between 5,500 and 6,000 people come together to witness something that’s never happened before, a South African fighter defending a WBC gold title on African soil. Kevin Lerena etched his name into the annals of boxing history, doing something no South African boxer has done before.” 

Ramagole added: “While our colleagues at the self-proclaimed Heritage Mecca are still busy chanting that they’re the “Mecca of Boxing”, let’s drop a few historical truth bombs they may have missed or conveniently forgotten.

“Jake Tuli, the first black South African to win a Commonwealth title back in the 1950s, is from Orlando, Soweto. He broke racial barriers at a time when simply stepping into a ring was an act of defiance. That’s legacy, that’s history, that’s flyweight royalty. The late Peter ‘Terror’ Mathebula, who was the first black world champion from South Africa, was also from Gauteng.”

Ramagole further said: “Only thrice in African boxing history has a WBC gold world title fight been hosted by African promoters. One was in the DRC by Luyoyo Promotions, the second one was in Gauteng hosted by the legendary Golden Gloves Promotions under Rodney Berman and the third one was hosted by the new kid on the block Legacy Promotions. 

“So, if this isn’t enough motivation for ‘Heritage Mecca’ to finally give credit where it belongs, we honestly don’t know what it is. Maybe, it’s time to stop romanticising the past and start recognising the present.” 

A boastful Ramagole added that the points he has raised prove beyond doubt that Gauteng is indeed the Mecca of boxing.

“Now, about that tired who’s the real Mecca? Can we finally put it to rest? Unless you are still dizzy from a flash knockdown, there is no debate. Gauteng is where greatness is born and legends are made. While some are still stuck rewinding VHS tapes of their glory days, we’re out here writing a new era of African boxing,” he remarked. 

There’s no doubt that Ramagole’s assertions will not go down well with fight fans in the Eastern Cape. This is so because the province’s fight fans strongly believe that their province is indeed the real Mecca of Boxing.

Maybe what makes Ramagole’s assertions believable to most fight followers is the fact that two boxers who hold titles from what’s called the world’s top boxing bodies are based in Gauteng.

Lerena is a WBC champion and reigning World Boxing Organisation (WBO) junior-bantamweight titlist Phumelela Cafu, who won his title less than six months after relocating from the Eastern Cape to Gauteng, are based in South Africa’s richest province. 

Add to that Ricardo Malajika, who holds the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) flyweight and junior-bantamweight crowns, and IBO welterweight champion Thulani Mbenge, born in the Eastern Cape, are also based in Gauteng.

Already, Gauteng has had three shows and the Eastern Cape has hosted two so far in the 2025/26 financial year. Two more tournaments are going to be held in Gauteng while only one tournament is scheduled for the Eastern Cape before the end of May. 

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