Super fight night on your TV this Saturday
The chase for the inaugural Super Eight crown hots up this weekend with the semifinals of the series to determine the region’s best cruiserweight boxer.
Zack Mwekassa, the favourite, will fight former Olympian Danie Venter, while Flo Simba will step in against Thabiso Mchunu.
The tournament will be broadcast live on SuperSport 5 from 7:30pm (CAT, SA, GMT+2) on Saturday.
Mwekassa, who trades under the “Black Warrior” nickname, stormed the venue in June when he destroyed Tsepang Mohale in 81 seconds, putting the remaining contenders under warning.
Yet he will have it tougher against Venter, a wily old veteran who relies on solid skills rather than power to overcome his opponents. He’s a better boxer than Mwekassa, but it would be a major surprise were he to successfully fend off the big-hitting DRC-born fighter for all eight rounds.
The Simba-Mchunu fight is unfinished business after their first bout in June ended messily. Referee Tony Nyangiwe waved off the action in Mchunu’s favour in the first round with Simba in no obvious distress.
It two knockout wins seem on the cards, the best fight of the night may turn out to be the undercard catchweight bout between former SA light-heavyweight champion Johnny Muller and unbeaten Ryno Liebenberg.
Muller is flashy and exciting, while Liebenberg is a gritty throwback to the likes of Mike Holt and Hottie van Heerden. It promises to be a war.
In the major undercard fight, tiny Hekkie Budler will defend his IBO minimumweight title against tough Florante Condes of the Philippines. They were meant to fight a number of months ago, only for Condes to fall out of a tree, forcing a postponement.
For more refined tastes, the Sipho Taliwe-Mzonke Fana junior-lightweight clash could be particularly compelling viewing.
