Liebenberg knocks Zwengu out to win SA title
Ryno ‘The Lion’ Liebenberg knocked out Makhosandile Zwengu to win the SA light-heavyweight title at Emperors Palace on Saturday, September 19.
Liebenberg connected with a roundhouse right hand to the top of Zwengu’s head and followed it up with a left to send Zwengu to the canvas, before the referee counted him out.
“He’s a good fighter but he doesn’t belong in the ring with me,” said Liebenberg following the result, which came two minutes and six seconds into the second.
The win improved Liebenberg’s record to 17-2, while Zwengu, who did his bit to make Liebenberg’s statement hard to argue with fell to 9-7.
On the same card of the Golden Gloves’ Uncivil War event, Democratic Republic of Congo boxer Paul Kamanga preserved his unbeaten record with a convincing performance against Jason Bedeman.
The 10-round bout, which went the distance, saw Kamanga emerge as the victor via unanimous decision in the welterweight bout with the officials scoring it 100-90 on one card and 99-91 on two cards.
Kamanga (22) stepped it up in the third round with powerful combinations which had Bedeman in all sorts of trouble but the 26-year-old weathered the storm.
Bedeman gradually fought his way back in the middle rounds but the ring-savvy Kamanga was always a step and a punch ahead.
The result took Kamanga’s record to 17-0 including eight wins inside the distance while Bedeman’s fell to 18-3-3; 15.
In the night’s international bout, Thompson Mokwana spoilt Kazakh welterweight Roman Zhailauov’s party by handing him his first defeat in his professional career.
There was little between the fighters in their absorbing bout which the officials scored 77-75 on two cards and 78-77 on the other to hand Mokwana a split-decision victory.
The decision took Mokwana’s professional record to 21-10-1. Zhailauov, who previously enjoyed a 15-0 record including nine wins inside the distance, fell to 15-1. – @SabeloBoksburg
