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It was another busy weekend for
the World Boxing Federation
(WBF), as one International, two
All Africa and one World
championship fight found winners
in South Africa and France
between Friday evening May 27
and Sunday afternoon May 29.
Friday, in Klerksdorp in South
Africa’s Gauteng province,
former WBF International
Champion Frans Ramabola added
the WBF All Africa Super
Welterweight title to his short
but impressive ledger, having
also won and defended a WBA
regional belt, when he beat Cape
Town-based Chris Mugisho from
D.R. Congo.
Promoted by TK Promotions, the
fight was high-paced as Ramabola
boxed aggressively but
disciplined and never let
Mugishu find his rhythm. While
not totally one-sided, it was
clear from early on that Mugishu
would likely need to hurt
Ramabola to make things go his
way.
After twelve rounds of boxing,
judges Thabo Spampool, Ben
Ncapai and Boitumelo Madiba
scored the fight 118-112,
118-112 and 116-114
respectively, all for Frans
Ramabola. Referee in charge of
the action was Simon Mokadi.
Ramabola, a pro for less than
two years but with five title
fights already, improved his
record to
7-1 (2). His only loss
was a brave challenge for the
WBF Intercontinental title last
February against compatriot
Nkuleko Mhlongo. Mugisho falls
to
5-2-1 (1).
Saturday night saw WBF Womens
World Light Flyweight Champion
Anne Sophie Da Costa make a
successful first defense of her
title in front of a sold-out
crowd at the Gymnasse Frederique
Bronquart in Tinquex, France,
only a few miles from her
hometown Reims, fending off
Soledad Macedo from Uruguay.
Da Costa, also a former WBF
World Strawweight titlist,
constantly pressured her
challenger, and while Macedo
proved competent and willing she
was always a step behind. Not
having to shed the same amount
of weight as earlier in her
career, Da Costa appeared more
energetic and aggressive.
While she never looked close to
stopping Macedo, the champion
was in full control throughout,
and judges Christophe Hembert,
Jean-Marcel Nartz and Smail
Alitouche all had her winning
clearly by scores of 98-92,
99-91 and 99-91. Referee was
Toni Tiberi.
With the victory, 33-year-old Da
Costa took her impressive
professional record to
21-2 (9), while “La
Negra” Macedo lost her fourth
world championship challenge,
having previously contested WBA,
WBC and IBF versions, and drops
to a very deceiving
13-12-1 (4).
On Sunday it was back to South
Africa where Nelson Mandela
Metro Promoters Association
staged a WBF championship
double-header at the Lilian
Ngoyi Hall in the Kwazakele
township in Port Elizabeth,
featuring match-ups with plenty
of local pride also on the line.
Former Eastern Cape champion
Mzoxolo Ndwayana won the vacant
WBF International Welterweight
title, and improved his
professional record to
15-2-2 (10), by defeating
hard-punching former South
African national
title-challenger Anelisa
Gungqisa,
8-4-1 (7).
Ndwayana was strong as an ox and
showed vicious power in both
hands, as he decided to brawl
with his brave adversary. But in
round five he landed a
picture-perfect body shot which
send Gungqisa down, and referee
Steven Simon consequently
stopped the fight.
In the co-featured attraction,
experienced and rugged Flyweight
Xola Sifama beat undefeated
prospect Mfundo Mbengashe for
the vacant WBF All Africa title,
taking his record to
14-8-2 (9) in the
process. Mbengashe, biting off
more than he was ready to chew,
drops to
4-1 (2).
Sifama started slow and lost the
first two rounds, before picking
up his game and floored
Mbengashe in rounds three and
six, and three times in round
seven to force the stoppage from
referee Nkoinathi Zamela and the
technical knockout victory.
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