Aphiwe ‘Swagger’ Boyiya and his handlers can breathe a sigh of relief as his fight against Kutlwano Ogaketse is finally happening away in Botswana this coming Friday.
Following three postponements and uncertanties regarding his fight, Boyiya will, at long last, lace his gloves against Ogaketse in a vacant International Boxing Organisation (IBO) Africa junior-welterweight title contest at the Protea Hotel Marriott in Gaborone, Botswana.
Scud Missile Promotions boss, Thuso Khubamang, has confirmed that Boyiya, a two-time and two-weight South African champion, together with his handlers will travel to Botswana this week.
“The tournament is taking place on Friday. And the South Africans are going to arrive on Wednesday,” Khubamang said from Botswana.
On why the tournament got postponed a number of times, Khubamang said: “It’s not easy to organise these kind of events, especially when you are experiencing financial difficulties. Money is the main thing, which forced us to postpone the tournament before. However, I’m happy that it is finally happening.”
Initially, Boyiya and Ogaketse were scheduled to face off in April, but their fight got postponed to May only for it to be cancelled at the last minute. It got rescheduled for September and then postponed yet again.
Boyiya will be fighting for the first time in almost two years as he last fought when he defeated Lindokuhle Dlamini on points at the Orient Theatre, KuGompo City, in November 2024. As a result of his inactivity, the former South African featherweight and junior-lightweight titlist lost his place in the Boxing South Africa (BSA) ratings. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
