Following his first career loss when he was stopped by South African junior-bantamweight champion Moyisi Booi in the fourth round on Friday, Lwando Mgabi has decided to move up two divisions.
After entering the ring as a favourite at the Orient Theatre in East London, Mgabi disappointed his fans as Booi showed him flames before fight referee Siphiwo Mbini stopped the proceedings in the fourth signalling that the Duncan Village-born former SA champion had failed to reclaim the national junior-bantamweight crown.
“I have taken a decision to move up to the junior-featherweight because I’m too big for the junior-bantamweight division. For the record, I didn’t struggle to make the weight before Friday’s fight,” the lanky Mgabi said.
Mgabi failed to make the required weight when he was due to defend the SA junior-bantamweight title against Sechaba Zuma in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, six months ago. He, however, went on to stop Zuma in the fifth round.
“My manager Mla Tengimfene suggested before I took the Booi fight that I should consider moving up. I couldn’t move up at the time because it was going to look like I was afraid of Booi,” Mgabi remarked. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
