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Mokwana brings Fana’s reign to a halt

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PUMMELING: Thompson Mokwana has beaten Mzonke Fana to be crowned the new SA lightweight champ. (Leon Sadiki)
PUMMELING: Thompson Mokwana has beaten Mzonke Fana to be crowned the new SA lightweight champ. (Leon Sadiki)

Johannesburg - Thompson Mokwana was delighted on Friday after bringing Mzonke Fana’s reign as SA lightweight champion to an end.

He said that he would not give Fana a rematch because this would be a “waste of time”.

The 32-year-old former two-time national champion regained his title after emphatically dethroning the “The Rose of Khayelitsha” by a unanimous points decision in a gripping clash.

Talking too much

The Limpopo-based fighter rendered the more experienced Fana ineffective for the duration of the bout, scoring with great body shots throughout the night. The judges scored the bout 116-111, 118-109 and 118-109 in his favour.

An ecstatic Mokwana, who held the same crown on two occasions before losing it to Xolisani “Nomeva” Ndongeni in 2014, said:

“I think it would be pointless for me to give Mzonke a rematch considering that I will have nothing more to prove because I believe this will not serve any purpose in my career.

"He has been in the ring a long time and talking too much about beating me.”

Mokwana, who trains in Johannesburg with Shaun Smith, is considering making a mandatory defence against number one contender Prince Dlomo of ­Kwa-Zulu-Natal.

“Prince is a good boxer whom I believe will give a good match. I would like to beat him first and challenge for the world title in the next two months.

“Whether this will be for the World Boxing Organisation or a World Boxing Association titles, we will see because we still need to sit down and discuss our next move,” he said.

Good shots

The vanquished Fana said he would sit down with his camp in the next few days to talk about his future.

His record reads 38-13 in 51 bouts.

“This has been a long route and we will obviously look at whether I should consider continuing or retire.

"This guy was too good for me. He unsettled me with good shots for the entire 12 rounds,” Fana said.

It will be in the best interests of the 43-year-old Fana to call it a day as he seems to have nothing more left to offer in boxing and he has suffered three consecutive defeats.

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