In only her sixth fight in the professional ranks, Tyla Promnick became the new South African female strawweight champion after she dethroned Thobela Nyanda at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday evening.
Two judges Jaap van Niewenhuizen and Tony Nyangiwe had Promnick winning by 96-94 while Thando Xamlashe scored the fight as a draw (95-95).
Promnick, who is trained by Alan Toweel in Linden, Johannesburg, took the fight to Nyanda from the first bell as she kept on scoring with telling blows. Nyanda, on the other hand, started slowly and only got into the groove late in the fight.
It’s not clear whether her slow start had anything to do with her last fight where she lost by a second round stoppage to Harriet Mtende after she dislocated her shoulder in December.
As a result of her win over Nyanda, Promnick took her professional record to six wins with three stoppages. On the other hand, Nyanda dropped to five victories with three knockouts and two losses. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
