By Ron Jackson

Veteran South African flyweight champion Jackson “M3” Chauke meets novice Mustafa Khalid Mkupasi from Tanzania in a clash for the African Boxing Union flyweight title at The Galleria in Sandton on Thursday night.

The 37-year-old Chauke (20-1-2, 14 KOs) has an outstanding record and as an amateur won silver medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2007 All-Africa Games, both at flyweight. As a professional, he has captured the South African and WBC International flyweight titles.

The 26-year-old Mkupasi (9-0, 7 KOs) is a comparative novice and the odds must be overwhelming in favor of the South African.

On the same card, Mzuvukile “Old Bones” Magwaca (21-0-3, 12 KOs) meets Sabelo Ngebinyana (14-5, 11 KOs) in a non-title fight over eight rounds at bantamweight, and the 41-year-old Koos Sibiya takes on Lucky Monyebane in a junior lightweight bout.

JOHN BOPAPE DEFENDS SA MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

South African middleweight champion John “Section 29” Bopape defends his title for the first time when he meets the number one contender Snamiso Ntuli from eMnambithi in Ladysmith, KwaZulu/Natal, at the Multi-Purpose Hall in Soweto on Sunday afternoon.

The big punching 31-year-old Bopape (11-8, 10 KOs) who won the title with an eleventh-round stoppage win over Nkululeko “Bull Dog” Mhlongo from Eshowe in Bloemfontein on 29 April, goes into the fight as the favorite against the comparative novice

Rather sadly there are only two contenders listed in the latest Boxing SA middleweight ratings after Ntuli, with Nkululeko Mhlongo at #2 and Wade Groth at #3.

At one time the middleweight division listed some of South Africa’s greatest fighters like Jolting Joe Maseko, Mike Holt, Gert “Hottie” van Heerden, Johnny Wood, Willie Ludick, Joe Ngidi, Pierre Fourie, Gordon Goba, Sydney Hoho, Doug Lumley, Thulani “Sugarboy” Malinga, Gregory Clark, Charles Oosthuizen, Gerhard Botes and Mpush Makambi.

In the main supporting bout, Tiisetso Modisadife and Zolile Miya meet over ten rounds for the vacant Gauteng flyweight title. Modisadife is listed at #2 and Miya at #5 in the latest Boxing SA ratings.

There are another five fights on the card and there will also be an exhibition match between former world champions Jan “Kid Gavillan” Bergman and Harry “The Terminator” Simon.