Cape Town-based boxing trainer Saligh Dollie expects his boxer Jason Phaal to continue with his unbeaten run when he faces Meegan King at the Grand West Casino in Goodwood, Cape Town, early next month.
The knockout artist fights against King in a vacant South African cruiserweight title contest. The national title became vacant after it was relinquished by former champion Thabiso Mchunu, who had held it since June 2017.
“Jason’s preparations have been going exceptionally well. This is an opportunity we’ve been waiting for, for a long time. From the day Jason joined me, he made his ambitions clear. He said “coach, I want to be the South African champion. I want to be a national champion”. Now we have the chance to make that goal a reality,” Dollie remarked.
“Considering everything Jason has been through, from his amateur career to his transition into the professional ranks, winning the South African title would be a significant milestone. It’s certainly not the end goal, but it represents an important first step towards achieving the bigger ambitions we have for his career.”
Dollie has also revealed that Phaal has shown more seriousness at training since he signed the contract to face off against King.
“Jason has approached this fight with complete professionalism. He’s training as though he’s preparing for a world title fight, giving every session the intensity and focus it deserves,” Dollie said.
“He’s not taking King lightly in any way. While we’re both confident in Jason’s ability, we’ve prepared for this contest with the mindset that every fight matters. That’s the mentality required to succeed at the highest level.”
On what the fight means to him and the entire SN Boxing Gym crew, especially after he led Nhlanhla ‘Mount Kilimanjaro’ Tyirha to International Boxing Organisation (IBO) minimumweight title glory in May, Dollie said: “This fight is also about developing the right championship mindset. A South African title is prestigious and it’s important that Jason experiences what it takes mentally and physically to prepare for fights of this calibre. Those lessons will serve him well as we continue chasing even bigger goals.
“For SN Boxing, this fight is equally significant. We recently celebrated a world title victory with Tyirha and adding a South African champion would be another major achievement for the gym this year. Producing our first national champion is something we’ve been working towards, and we hope Jason will be the first of many South African champions to come through our doors.
“On a personal level, this moment means a great deal to me as a coach. Jason began his professional career under my guidance, and we’ve built a relationship that goes far beyond boxing. He’s like a little brother to me. To stand beside him as he fulfils one of his lifelong dreams and becomes South African champion would be incredibly special.”
Phaal, who stopped all his five opponents, is rated number one in the Boxing South Africa (BSA) ratings and King is one place below him. King has a professional record of two victories with two stoppages, one loss and a draw.
Phaal stopped Danny Ngokwey in the third round during their fight held at the Jan Smuts Stadium in KuGompo City in May while King defeated Rene Tshimanga in Kagiso, Krugersdorp, in March.
“We’re feeling very positive about where we are. Jason has put in the work, the preparation has been excellent, and now we’re looking forward to the fight night. Hopefully, this is the first of many titles we’ll celebrate together,” Dollie concluded. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
