By Ron Jackson
Promising young junior welterweight Jabulani Makhense won the vacant Gauteng 140lb title with relative ease when he stopped the more experienced Gift Bholo in the seventh round in front of a raucous crowd at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park on Sunday afternoon. The well-conditioned Makhense (63.46kg) came out fast at the opening bell and coolly mastered the distance throughout the first three rounds scoring with left and right combinations to the head and body. This was the same pattern from round four to six with the gutsy and bloodied Bholo (61.86kg) not winning a round.
It came as no surprise when Bholo’s corner pulled him out at the bell for the seventh round as referee Ishmael Koalhi waved the fight off. Makhense improved his record to 6-0, 3 KOs and Bholo’s record dropped to 6-8, 3 KOs.
MANGXILANA WINS VACANT GAUTENG TITLE
In the best fight of the afternoon, Paul Mangxilana (58.30kg) won on an eighth round technical knockout over the southpaw Lucky Monyebane (58.30kg) to claim the vacant Gauteng junior-lightweight title. In a toe-toe encounter there was very little in it before in round eight a straight right dropped Monyebane in his corner. He managed to beat the count but after another barrage of punches he went down again as referee Tony Nyangiwe stepped in to wave the fight off at 1:50 into the round. Mangxilane improved his reported record to 5-4-5, 3 KOs, and Monyebane’s reported record dropped to 5-3, 5 KOs.
Other results: Welterweight: Tristan Truter beat Sibonelo Nzimande, tko 2; Light-heavyweight: Michael Markham beat Mandla Mpofu, ko 3; Junior-bantamweight: Ricardo Malajika beat Nkululeko Mnisi, ko 1; Junior-middleweight: Boyd Allen beat Lybon Ntshani, tko 4; Cruiserweight: Keaton Gomes beat Siphesihle Bottman, tko 4.