Sports / Local
Bulawayo boxer prepares for first South Africa fight
01 Jun 2013 at 06:43hrs | Views
FORMER Zimbabwe National Youth Games boxing champion Ntando Sibanda, who relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa, early this year in a bid to get fights, will trade leather with an unnamed opponent next month.
Sibanda, who graduated into professional boxing in 2011 when he traded leather with Meluleki Ngulube in an under card of the Thamsanqa Dube-Arigoma Chiponda non-title fight, will fight in the flyweight division on 27 June in Johannesburg.
In an interview from his Johannesburg base, the Makokoba-born pugilist said his trainer-cum-manager Gert Strydom, who also handles heavyweight boxer Elvis "Bulawayo Bomber" Moyo, has organised the fight.
"What has been holding me is that I was waiting for the clearance from home which I got last week and now I am happy that my many hours of training will now be seen in the ring. Actually I was supposed to get my first fight on 1 June but I could not get an opponent so the manager has organised for me to fight on 27 June," said Sibanda.
The 23-year-old boxer, who was nurtured at Tshaka Youth Centre by veteran instructor Philip Striker Ndlovu, trains at Bronx Gym in Hillbrow and is elated that he will soon be fighting.
He was a vital cog in Team Bulawayo for the Zimbabwe Youth Games as he brought in a number of medals from the competitions.
"Like I said before, I believe I made a right move coming to South Africa and I am grateful to Victor (Moyo) who welcomed me, paid my gym fees and introduced me to his team.
I have also been doing some sparring with guys who are 10kgs more than me and I give them torrid times. In terms of fitness, I am ready to fight," said Sibanda.
Sibanda, who graduated into professional boxing in 2011 when he traded leather with Meluleki Ngulube in an under card of the Thamsanqa Dube-Arigoma Chiponda non-title fight, will fight in the flyweight division on 27 June in Johannesburg.
In an interview from his Johannesburg base, the Makokoba-born pugilist said his trainer-cum-manager Gert Strydom, who also handles heavyweight boxer Elvis "Bulawayo Bomber" Moyo, has organised the fight.
"What has been holding me is that I was waiting for the clearance from home which I got last week and now I am happy that my many hours of training will now be seen in the ring. Actually I was supposed to get my first fight on 1 June but I could not get an opponent so the manager has organised for me to fight on 27 June," said Sibanda.
He was a vital cog in Team Bulawayo for the Zimbabwe Youth Games as he brought in a number of medals from the competitions.
"Like I said before, I believe I made a right move coming to South Africa and I am grateful to Victor (Moyo) who welcomed me, paid my gym fees and introduced me to his team.
I have also been doing some sparring with guys who are 10kgs more than me and I give them torrid times. In terms of fitness, I am ready to fight," said Sibanda.
Source - chronicle
