In an effort to fight against the exodus of East London boxers to Johannesburg, Mlandeli Tengimfene and Andile Sidinile flew out of South Africa for Las Vegas in the United States of America (USA) on Sunday evening to network with potential partners.
The duo, who stopped over in the Dutch capital Amsterdam, have an initial mission of selling Azinga Fuzile, Phaphama Rhonorhono and Lwando Mgabi with a view of seeing the three boxers featuring in overseas fights.
“We are going to Las Vegas to make a case for our boxers. We want to stand up and be counted. It cannot be right for our boxers to leave East London for Johannesburg in order for them to be relevant and successful,” Tengimfene said.
Tengimfene added: “We will be going to the UK early next year in March to resuscitate the Frank Warren relationship. We have been, for the longest time, concentrating in building up a core team with Azinga, Mgabi and Rhonorhono. There are other up and coming boxers that I can’t divulge for now.”
Tengimfene, an award-winning manager attached to the All Winners Boxing Club in Mdantsane, manages Fuzile and Mgabi, who are both promoted by Last Born Boxing Promotions while Rhonorhono is under BBB Promotions.
Fuzile is an erstwhile South African featherweight champion and also a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-lightweight title contender. He lost to Japanese boxer Kenichi Ogawa in an IBF junior-lightweight title contest in USA almost four years ago.
On the other hand, Duncan Village-born Mgabi was an SA junior-bantamweight titlist until he lost the title after he failed to make the required weight just before his fight against Sechaba Zuma in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, in June.
Rhonorhono, meanwhile, is a knockout specialist who has won all his five fights with knockouts. He won the then vacant SA welterweight title following a second round stoppage win over Capetonian Wassim Chellan in August. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
