Boxing returns to the mother city on the 22 February at the Wynberg Military Base with an event dubbed simply “Battle Ready”. Local favorite Thembani “Baby Jake” Mbangatha who defends his WBF Africa Strap against the highly experienced Doctor Ntsele from the Free State headlines the event which includes a stacked undercard of fights with boxers from across the continent as well as two Ukrainian prospects.
Mbangatha rose to fame when he won the title in 2017 at the same venue, fighting the last 2 rounds literally one handed after a shoulder dislocation mid round. After extensive rehab training Mbangatha is ready to return to the ring and defend is prized WBF title.
“I cannot wait to get in there and defend, it has been a process getting back after the injury, but I’m now ready and looking forward to defending against Ntsele on the 22nd.” – Thembani Mbangatha WBF AFrica Champion
This opponent is a step up in class for Mbangatha and promises to be a very competitive bout in a must win for Mbangatha, to get his career back on track, post injury lay off. Mbangatha hailing from the Capricorn Informal Settlement near Muizenberg is a police officer by day and a true hero of his local community. The event promoters are expecting Mbangatha’s large support base to come out in their numbers on the night to celebrate this local star in action.
The co main event sees another Cape Town hero and reigning SA Light Heavyweight Champion Nic Radley compete in a non title Light Heavyweight bout against Charles Misanjo of Malawi.
In September Radley clinched the SA Title in just his 7th fight in a riveting contest that has been nominated as SA Fight of the Year. This time his SA Title belt is not on the line, but Misanjo is an experienced journeyman and will prove no walk over.
The remainder of the bill also features Angolan Tony Mayala from the Emil Brice stable who takes on a Ukrainian prospect Denys Lazarev with a deep amateur background and pedigree.
Kalakoda Promotions and Kwesé Free Sport seek to position Cape Town as a boxing center with another 10 Friday Fight Nights scheduled for the year. All events are broadcast live to 50 million homes across Africa on the Kwesé Free Sports Platform as well as sublicense agreements with National Broadcasters across the continent.
Tickets are available online via Quicket or approved Ticket Agents.
