On Friday evening, March 23, at the Edenvale Community Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, two World Boxing Federation (WBF) Championship fights topped a bill labelled “Unstoppable”, promoted by Real Steel Promotions. Undefeated shooting star Emmany Kalombo came of age in what will unquestionably be a front-runner for Fight of the Year in South Africa, winning the vacant WBF Intercontinental Super Welterweight title with a vicious knockout of South African Champion Nkululeko Mhlongo.
It was toe-to-toe action from the start, with both men going all out and determined to leave everything in the ring. The older and much more experienced Mhlongo followed the pace of Kalombo, and was actually ahead on two of the cards when send crashing by an explosive overhand right in round five.
Caught cleanly on the jaw, Mhlongo was out cold, and Kalombo made a massive statement by being the first man to stop “The Bulldog”. Now 9-0 (9), the South Africa-based Congolese jumped up several levels by eventually destroying the favoured Mhlongo with one punch, and is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Mhlongo, 16-6 (12), a former WBF Intercontinental titlist and world title-challenger, was riding high after defending the South African crown with a stoppage of another unbeaten prospect, the 9-0 Brandon Thysse, in his most recent outing. Now its back to the drawing board after the most crushing defeat of his career.
In an all-South-African match-up, former world class amateur and 2008 South African Olympian, Jackson “M3” Chauke also showed his power and performed brilliantly in stopping Sihle Jelwana in four rounds to lift the vacant WBF International Flyweight title.
Chauke, now 15-1-1 (11), floored his foe in the first round, but Jelwana came back strong and fought well in the second and third. In round four Chauke scored another knock-down, and this time Jelwana, who dropped to 8-4 (6), was not able to convince referee Ben Ncapayi that he should be allowed to continue.