After arriving in KuGompo City from Cape Town on Monday, boxing trainer Saligh Dollie has made it clear that his boxer Nhlanhla ‘Mount Kilimanjaro’ Tyirha’s hand is going to be raised on Saturday.
Tyirha is scheduled to exchange blows with unbeaten Kwa-Zulu-Natal boxer Nhlakanipho ‘GTI’ Kunene in a vacant International Boxing Organisation (IBO) minimumweight title fight at the Jan Smuts Stadium in KuGompo City.
Tyirha will be fighting under Dollie for the first time since he bolted out of Mzamo ‘Chief’ Njekanye’s gym in Duncan Village and moved to Cape Town three months ago.
“Preparations with Tyirha have gone very well. Naturally, with any new relationship, there are learning curves, but they were minimal with Tyirha. We have an incredible relationship and understanding, we’re on the same wave length,” Dollie said.
“He’s a model athlete and has integrated with his stablemates as though he’s been there for years. He’s physically in great condition and I can’t wait for him to display his technical ability in this fight. He has a full team behind him including myself, a strength and conditioning coach, a physio, Bodytec as a strength and recovery partner and even TITLE as a sponsor. It also helps to have incredible backing from his promotion, Ground Up Sports Promotions, and his manager Roelien Magqaza. It’s been seamless.”
This is also Tyirha’s first fight since he won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Intercontinental minimumweight crown after he outpointed Filipino opponent Arnel Lofranco in Cape Town last December.
Mdantsane-born Tyirha, a former South African junior-flyweight champion, goes to the Kunene fight carrying good ratings from at least two of the top four world boxing bodies. He’s rated 10th by the IBF and occupies ninth spot in the World Boxing Council (WBC) ratings.
And almost three months ago, Kunene won the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental minimumweight title against Tanzanian southpaw Ally Ngwando in Estcourt. Kunene is on an eight-fight winning streak having won half of the fights by knockout.
“In terms of his opponent, we’ve been fortunate enough to watch Kunene’s last three fights including a close fight against a southpaw. We also know exactly what he’s been doing in Johannesburg for his preparation as well as who his sparring partners are. Two people can only keep a secret if one of them is dead,” Dollie remarked.
“Kunene is a good boxer, but ultimately, he’s punching above his weight with Tyirha. Boxing is a serious sport and we approach every fight with caution and respect, but we’re looking forward to an incredible performance from Mount Kilimanjaro.” – Monwabisi Jimlongo
