Uphindele kuyise ngenxa yempi u-The Rock
Ukubaluleka kwempi yangeSonto elizayo kuphoqe uThabiso “The Rock” Mchunu ukuthi asishiye okwesikhashana isitebela sakhe esiseGoli abuyele kubo kwaXimba, eMkhambathini ukwenza isiqiniseko sokuthi uyayinqoba le mpi.
Phela ngeSonto lo mhla ziyi-16 kuNhlaba kuzoqopheka umlando iKwaZulu-Natal isingatha okokuqala impi yokuhlungela ukulwela ibhande le-World Boxing Council (WBC) kwi-Cruiserweight ezoba phakathi kukaThabiso no-Ilunga “Junior” Makabu wase-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kulindeleke ukuthi ibhokisa elizonqoba kule mpi eqhathwa yiLudonga Boxing Promotion yaseThekwini ngokuhlanganyela ne-Main Events yaseMelika noMnyango Wezemidlalo kulesi sifundazwe (KZN), litholane phezulu no-Grigory Drozd wase-Russia ongumpetha.
IBAYEDE ithole ukuthi uDamien Michael oyimenenja kaThabiso emasontweni adlule uyalele lo mshayisibhakela ukuthi ayishiye ijimu eseGoli abuyele kwelakubo ukuyoqeqeshwa nguyise u-Alex Mchunu okunguyena omfundise isibhakela. Nakuba abaqeqeshi abasemthethweni baleli bhokisa kuyizelamani zakwa-Smith, uSean noPeter kodwa kuthiwa uMichael wazi kahle ukuthi uThabiso ukuleli zinga nje kungenxa kayise.
“Kusukela emasontweni amathathu edlule uThabiso isikhathi esininigi ubekubo KwaXimba ephekwa kanzima nguyise, uMchunu. EGoli ubeya ngoba kunezinto ezithile okumele azilungise. Ukuyoziqeqesha khona uzoya sekusele izinsuku ezimbalwa ngaphambi kwempi. U-Michael uwazi kahle amagalelo kayise kaThabiso. Noma yinini uma uThabiso ezolwa luhlale lucelwa usizo lwakhe,” kubeka umthombo osondelene nalo mndeni waKwaMchunu.
Kubuzwa uMchunu omdala ngalokhu uvele wazihlekela ethi: “Okubalulekile njengamanje wukuthi sonke sibambisane ukuze uThabiso ayinqobe le mpi ukuze ezotholana phezulu noDrozd. Okokuthi ubani omqeqesha kakhulu akusabalulekile.”
Kuvela lezi zindaba nje, kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi ngonyaka wezi-2011 uThabiso esanda kujoyina isetebela okuqeqesha kuso u-Sean no-Peter washaywa kabuhlungu nguZack Mwekassa naye wase-DRC ngomcacamezelo womlalisa phansi emzuliswaneni wesi-6. Ngemuva kwale mpi kwavela ukuthi lezi zelamani zakwa-Smith zimqeqeshe ngokwedlulele okuyikona okudale ukuthi alahlekelwe ngamanzi amaningi emzimbeni. Ezimpini ezalandela okwakungeze-Super 8 Last Man Standing Tournament, zesigaba sama-Quarter-Final nesama-Semi-Final, uThabiso azilwa noFlo “The Demolition Man” Simba naye wase-DRC kwavela ukuthi izelamani zakwa-Smith bezisizana noMchunu. Kuzona zombili lezi zimpi wanqoba ngomngqimuzo womlalisa phansi emzuliswaneni wokuqala. Wagcina nangokuthi awunqobe lo mqhudelwano ngokushaya uDanie Venter wakuleli ngomngqimuzo womlalisa phansi emzuliswanenzi wesihlanu.
Ilokhu kunqoba kwakhe lezi zimpi okwamvulela ithuba lokuqhathwa yi-Main Events yaseMelika.
Mayelana nempi yangeSonto elizayo, uyise (cishe owakusho eminyakeni eyisi-5 eyedlule ukuthi uThabiso usefanele ukulwela ibhande le-WBC elihlonishwa ukuwedlula wonke emhlabeni) uthe: “UMakabu uthembele emandleni njengawawonke amabhokisa ase-DRC esiwashayile. UThabiso uzomshaya ehlehla noma eyaphambili, uMakabu uyibhokisa elingahlakaniphile. Indodana yami inethalante lokuvika, inamandla injalo nje kanti iyakwazi ukuthiba ngokwehlukile ngokushesha. Okufanele nje ikuqaphele wukugwema ukwenza amaphutha ngoba imbangi yayo iyakwazi ukukhipha izinguzunga zezibhakela.”
Izindaba ezimnandi ngezokuthi abaphathi bakaMakabu bayabazi ubungozi bukaThabiso. Kusanda kucashunwa umqeqeshi wakhe, u Tarik Saadi ethi kuzomele bazibambe ziqine ngoba imbangi yabo isishaye amabhokisa ahlonishwayo emhlabeni. Kuphinde kwacashunwa no-Christopher Tiozzo waseFrance ongupromotha kaMakabu ethi balindele impi enzima eThekwini.
Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi ngowezi-2013 uThabiso esanda kujoyina i-Main Events uthuse abaningi eshayela ngakubo eMelika inkakha u-Eddie Chambers obenezimpi ezingama-40.
Ngalo nyaka indodana kaMchunu beyinezili-16 kuphela. Akagcinanga lapho uqhubekile nokugingqa amadoda, wabhekisa phezulu amabhokisa afana no-Olanrewaju Durodola wase-Nigeria kubangwa ibhande ebelingaphethwe muntu le- NABF kwi-Cruiserweight. Ugcine eshaye ngamaphuzu u-Garrett Wilson wakhona eMelika evikela lesi sicoco.
UThabiso osephathe amabhande afana nele- WBA Pan African, African Boxing Union (ABU) wase evikela elakuleli le-Cruiserweight usashaywe kanye ezimpini ezili-18 asezilwile.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi uMakabu olaxaze umqeqeshi wakhe wakuleli, uHarold Volbrecht nemenenja u-Brian Mitchell uthuse abaningi nyakenye eshaya ngomcacamezelo womlalisa phansi u-Glen Johnson waseMelika kubangwa ibhande le- WBC International kwiCruiserweight.Ugcine egingqe ngendlela efanayo u-Tamas Bazjath wase-Hungary kweyokungcweka.
NakuMakabu ngesifanayo njengoba umpetshisi esawuthole kanye ezimpini ezi-19 asezilwile.
Ezilinganisweni ze-fightnews.com ngaphansi kwe-WBC uThabiso usendaweni yesibili bese kuthi imbangi yakhe ibe kweyesithathu.
