Reigning 2023 BSA trainer Jack happy to win all their fights

Khangelani Jack was modest about his achievement, producing two champions and helping the other boxer to retain her belt in an international tournament which saw six of the seven bouts end within short distances at Kliprivier Recreation Centre in Johannesburg yesterday.

Monica “Savage” Mkandla won the ABU SADC junior featherweight title while Bernice “The Badger” Ferreira claimed the bragging rights as the Gauteng junior lightweight champion.

In the main contest, Smangele “Smash” Hadebe registered the second successful defence of her ABU flyweight belt. These stable-mates are trained by Khangelani Jack and Arafaat Kock at the MacAusland Boxing Gym in Kilbler Park.

Mkandla stopped Egine Kayange in the fourth round while Ferreira won by a first round knockout of Sinesipho Mve. Hadebe also forced a first round stoppage of Jesca Mfaniga. Kayange and Mfaniga are from Tanzania while Mve is from the Eastern Cape.

Jack, the reigning 2023 BSA trainer of the year award winner, said: “Obviously we are happy that we won all our fights but these wins did not give me enough to gauge our progress since I have been training these boxer in April.

"I could get t get to see if the work we out together is actually showing improvement in some of the departments that I worked on. I mean all these fights except for Monica which went four rounds, ended even before I could  figure out what is working and what is not working so that when we go back to the gym we can try and improve on those areas but I want to thank all these boxers and the  management for the commitment in the dream we all share."

Kayange took punishment from Mkandla and actually made her work hard for her win while Mve looked scared from the onset and Ferreira wasted no time in taking her out.

There were emotions regarding the stoppage of Hadebe's fight. Some people said referee Namhla Tyuluba stopped the fight too son while others said her call was perfect but she missed the appropriate moment which warranted a stoppage.

Mfaniga, who failed to make the required weight limit, turned her back when she was under attack early in the round and that signalled that she was giving up.

But Tyluba allowed the fight to continue. Hadebe tapped her opponent in the corner and threw a barrage of blows and Tyuluba jumped in between and waved it over.

At that moment Mfinga was very much alive at that time. But ABU SADC president Peter Ngatane who supervised the fight was of a completely different view.

In his sweet and short summing up of the incident was that it is always better to stop a fight sooner than too late.

He made a reference of Judas Sithole who took punishment from Amzolele “Globe” Dyeyi  before finally going down with few seconds remaining in the fourth and last round.

Sithole left the ring on a stretcher and was rushed to the hospital. Jack’s other charges, BSA 2023 male prospect of the year, Donjuan “Iron Dragon” van Heerden and debutant Leanne “Mshoza” van Vuuren won their bouts.

Van Heerden stopped Fuluphelo Ramaliba in the first round while Van Vuuren won her debut on points over four rounds.