Africa’s Best Boxers Take It to the Ring, Phila Mpontshane and Sibusiso Zingange to Headline the Main Card

• Phila Mpontshane will defend his South African Junior Lightweight title against fellow South African, Sibusiso Zingange at ESPN Africa Boxing 14
• Phila Mpontshane last fought in 2019 but is confident that he can defend his title against Sibusiso Zingange
• South Africa’s Smangele Hadebe will face Tanzania’s Halima Vunjabei will meet in the co-main event of ESPN Africa Boxing 14

Phila Mpontshane and Sibusiso Zingange will headline ESPN Africa Boxing 14.

Mpontshane will defend his South African Junior Lightweight title at the event, for the fifth time only.

ESPN Africa Boxing is a monthly boxing event that showcases the best boxers on the continent. ESPN Africa reported.

ESPN Africa Boxing 14 will take place at the EFC Performance Institute in Fourways, Johannesburg, and will feature seven fights on the card. 2022 saw the return of the event which will be held on the last Thursday of every month.

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February’s event will see two title fights thrill audiences. In the co-main event, South Africa’s Smangele Hadebe will face Tanzania’s Halima Vunjabei. Hadebe is coming into the fight on a five-fight winning streak. The two women will fight for the vacant African Boxing Union (ABU) Female Flyweight title.

The main event will see two South Africans meet but ring rust could very well prove to be a deciding factor. Mpontshane last fought in 2019, as Covid19 brought an end to boxing in the country. On that occasion, he lost in an international title fight.

Zingange, on the other hand, has never competed for a national title, Sowetan LIVE reported, and so is entering new territory.

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Several stories in the United Kingdom's national press suggested that the British boxer was willing to allow Ukraine's Usyk to fight Tyson Fury in a unification title bout, Sports Brief recently reported.

Usyk put on a boxing masterclass against Joshua in their fight as he recorded a unanimous points victory. His win saw him capture the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) belts in London in September 2021.