Championship Boxing returns to the Castle of Good Hope on Friday the 28th of December. The Kalakoda-promoted event is headlined by the vacant IBF Youth World Title contested between Emile Kalekuzi of DRC and Azizi Mponda of Tanzania, with the co-main event featuring a WBO Africa Title where the Namibian Champion Jeremiah Nakathila faces local favourite Toto Helebe.
After a successful event staged at the Castle in September, Kalakoda Promotions have now officially partnered with the First Nations and the Castle Control board to bring live broadcast boxing to the city on a regular basis.
“We are very excited by this collaboration with Kalakoda Promotions and using boxing as a tool to bring South Africans together and as a platform for healing and mediation. The event in September demonstrated that boxing, the first sport where members from different races were allowed to compete together under apartheid, draws a diverse audience and a space for people of all backgrounds to come together,” says Calvyn Gilfellan CEO Castle Control Board.
“By basing ourselves at the Castle, our vision is to transform this venue and Cape Town as the new home of African boxing, all the upcoming events will be broadcast live on Kwesé Free Sports across Africa to some 50 million homes and presents an unprecedented platform to position the mother city as a sports tourism mecca,” says Jeremy Bean from Kalakoda Promotions.
The main event promises to be a mouth-watering match-up with an inspirational backstory: Commando Kalekuzi, Emile’s father came to Cape Town from the then Zaire some 23 years ago to pursue his own boxing career where he won the IBF Intercontinental Title, making the mother city his home and where Emile was conceived and born. Emile now fights in one of the most iconic venues in Cape Town for a Youth World Title from the same sanctioning organisation that his father held the Intercontinental Strap previously.
“My father has been my inspiration, on the 28th it is my opportunity to make him, my family and Cape Town proud I cannot wait, this is what I have been working so hard for,” says Emile Kalekuzi – IBF Youth World Title Contender.
The co-main event is an interesting contest where SA Bantamweight Champion Toto Helebe from Gugulethu will move up a division to take on WBO Africa Champion Jeremiah Nakathila from Namibia at Super Featherweight. This will be a competition outing for both men and a quality contest with two highly technical operators.
“I feel more comfortable in the Featherweight division, as fighter’s mature its natural to go up in weight class, this time there is a title on the line and I’m fighting the guy in my backyard, that belt will be a nice belated Christmas present for me,” says Toto Helebe, WBO Africa Contender.
The remainder of the bill features 2017 prospect of the year Lunga Sitemela in a non-title bout, he has kept very active and in his two years as a pro and already amassed a double-digit unbeaten record. Fighting out of the same stable is Tony Mayala who takes on a tricky customer in Cassiem Hassan from Malawi in a non-title Welterweight bout.
The remainder of the bill features SA Heavyweight Prospect Tian Fick against Cameroonian Nico Yamdjie over six rounds, an all Congolese affair at Super Middleweight between Chris Bobo and Alex Kabangu and the opening bout between debutant Aiden Quinn of South Africa against Tanzanian Said Habibu.
As always the Kalakoda fan experience will be great fights complemented by entertainment in the form of an appearance by Youngsta CPT and Bboy Champion Concrete Apposoles.
The event will be streamed live on YouTube Live as well as broadcast on the Kwesé Free Sports Platform throughout the continent.
For more information, please contact: [email protected]
Tickets are on sale at Quicket.
