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Boxing fans will on June 11 once more enjoy a battle of small men after a lull of 16 years.
This is the day that two Eastern Cape friends, Siyabonga Siyo and Simphiwe Khonco, will collide for the vacant International Boxing Organisation (IBO) minimum weight title at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.
The last time a bout of this magnitude was staged in the country was the vacant IBO light flyweight championship between the late Jacob “Baby Jake” Matlala and Masibulele “Hawk” Makepula at Carnival City, Brakpan, in 2000.
The outcome of that match-up was controversial in the sense that Matlala did enough to win, but the judges opted to award the points to Makepula, who was crowned the new IBO kingpin.
It was not the manner in which the fight ended that enthralled the fans, however, it was the classic display
of talent that saw both gladiators throw leather nonstop to keep the small division fans on the edge of their seats.
Many boxing lovers have, over the years – in most cases – been fed a menu of tepid clashes featuring contests in bigger categories from welterweight up to the heavyweight.
Here, boxers only derive pleasure by ending the fights inside the distance – winning either by knockout or technical knockout – and short-changing the fans.
So the Siyo-Khonco match-up is likely to bring back fond memories of some of the most exciting and slick small gladiators of yesteryear, like Johannes “Baby Joe” Miya (ex-flyweight kingpin) and Stanford “Baby Blue” Ngcebeshe (bantamweight) who used to rule the ring with aplomb during their era.
What will make the clash even more interesting is the fact that both fighters will show who is best suited to claim an IBO championship.
The title used to belong to Hekkie “The Hexecutioner” Budler, who ignominiously lost it together with the World Boxing Association version to Nicaraguan Byron Rojas at Emperors Palace in April.
