ZAKHELE XABA
UPHUME inqina kaMabuyaze umshayisibhakela waseNingizimu Afrika, odabuka eCato Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal uThabiso "The Rock" Mchunu, okhale ngaphansi ku-Ilunga "Junior" Makabu waseDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC) empini yebhande le-World Boxing Council (WBC) Cruiserweight entathakusa izolo.
UMchunu, obephonse inselelo kuMakabu, wehlulwe ngamaphuzu kule mpi ebisePackard Music Hall, e-USA. Amajaji amabili uSteve Weisfeld noJamie Garayua ayinike uMakabu ngo 115-123 no 116-112 ngokwehlukana. Ijaji uNathan Palmer liyinike uMchunu ngo 115-113.
Buhlale obala ubutha phakathi kukaMchunu noMakabu emuva kokukhala kwensimbi yokugcina yomzuliswano wokugcina ngesikhathi uMchunu echiliza kabi le mbangi ebimgaxa okuyisenzo esijwayelekile emuva kwempi.
Bekungokwesibili uMchunu ekhala ngaphansi kuMakabu kwazise lokhu kwenzekile ngesikhathi beqhuthana eThekwini ngo-2015 kubangwa ilungelo lokubhekana nompetha we-WBC wangaleso sikhathi.
Ukuwina kukaMakabu kusho ukuthi uselivikele ngempumelelo kabili ibhande le-WBC Cruiserweight aliwine ngo-2020 ehlula uMichal Cieslak wasePoland. Ulivikele okokuqala ku-Olenrewaju Durodola waseNigeria ngawo u-2020.
Empini yayizolo, uMakabu uqale kahle emzuliswaneni emibili yokuqala exaka uMchunu ngesibhakela sesokunxele kodwa zashesha ukujika izinto.
UMchunu nguyena obededela izibhakela ziyithola indawo kuMakabu futhi ephindusela ngokushesha uma kukhona eziza kuyena. UMchunu, obuye neqhinga elifanayo nelango-2015, wenze kahle kule mpi ikakhulukazi sekufikwe emzuliswaneni yokugcina ahlulwa kuyona ngenxa yokuphelelwa wumoya. Kodwa amajaji aphikisene neningi.
Ukwehlulwa kukaMchunu kushiye abaningi eMzansi benganeme kwazise bakholwa wukuthi ulwe kangcono. Bakholwa wukuthi lokhu bekuwuhlelo lukaphromotha uDon King obevele efuna uMakabu abhekane nengqwele yaseMexico uCanelo Alvarez eshaya amaphiko esisindweni se-Super Middleweight.
U-Alvarez, osahlulwe nguMayweather kuphela selokhu aqala isibhakela, uphethe uxhaxha lwamabhande ahlonishwayo emhlabeni okungele-WBC, WBA, IBF nele-WBO.
Kuyiwe empini yayizolo, ikhona likaMchunu selivele livike ukukhishwa kwakhe, esethenjiswa itshe lemali ukuze adedele u-Alvarez aqhuthane noMakabu ekubeni kunguyena ohlezi eqhulwini kwabagaqele ibhande.
Lokhu uDon King ubekade esekuvumile kodwa ikhona likaMchunu lakuphikisa, lafuna angene eringini. Emuva kwempi izolo, uMakabu umfune esitikini u-Alvarez. Nokho akucaci noma uzogcina emtholile kwazise sekukhulunywa eyokuthi u-Alvarez angase anyukele esisindweni se-Light heavyweight ayobhekana noDmitry Bivol waseRussia ongumpetha we-World Boxing Association.