Unheralded Eastern Cape-born boxer Lunga ‘Pressure Cooker’ Sitemela remains positive as the day of his fight against Moroccan boxer Moussa Gholam is drawing closer.
Sitemela, who left South Africa for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) together with his trainer Emil Brice and manager Allan Dillon on Monday, faces Gholam in a 10 rounds international bout at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, in the UAE this coming Saturday.
“I believe that we have done well at training. And I’m confident about getting a good result,” the current World Boxing Federation (WBF) junior-lightweight champion remarked.
Apart from getting assistance from his trainer Emil Brice, the 32-year-old Sitemela has been receiving advice from Mzonke ‘Rose of Khayelitsha’ Fana. The 50-year-old Fana, a two-time International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-lightweight champion, is Brice’s assistant.
“Coach Mzonke has advised me on what can work for us during the fight. We have noticed that my opponent is taller than me and that means we will have to be careful when fighting. My opponent likes fighting from a distance. I’m hopeful that I’m going to beat him,” the 2017 Male Prospect of the Year winner said.
Interestingly, Dordrecht-born Sitemela won the South African and WBF junior-lightweight titles after his opponents dislocated left shoulders. He won the SA title after former champion Sibusiso Zingange dislocated his left shoulder in May 2022.
And something similar happened when Sitemela won the WBF title as he dethroned Botswana boxer Steve Bagwasi after he dislocated his left shoulder in Gaborone in June last year.
Sitemela, who is based in Philippi, Cape Town, has registered stoppages in his last three fights. He stopped Zingange, Khanyile Bulana and Bagwasi.
Meanwhile, Sitemela has a professional record of 16 wins (10 knockouts) and a single loss while the 28-year-old Gholam, who is based in Cataluna, Spain, has 20 victories with 12 stoppages and one defeat.
