With history beckoning, Sharadene Fortuin is focused ahead of her fight against Zambian opponent Alice Mbewe at the Jan Smuts Stadium in KuGompo City on Saturday, 23 May.
If Fortuin emerged victorious during the vacant bantamweight title against Mbewe, then she will become the first South African female boxer to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) International title.
“I have been preparing for this fight since January. I’m ready for the fight. People are gonna see a different Sharadene. I can’t wait to make history in South Africa,” Fortuin said.
The first boxing champion from Seymour in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality, the reigning South African female bantamweight titlist will go to the Mbewe fight on the back of a points win over Thema Zuma in Cape Town in December last year. That was Fortuin’s third defence of her national title.
Before facing Zuma, the former International Boxing Organisation (IBO) Intercontinental female bantamweight champion hadn’t fought for more than two years as her last fight was against Zimbabwean opponent Patience Mastara in September 2023. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
