EAST LONDON – Anticipation for this weekend’s boxing world title fights featuring Vuyani Bungu and Hawk Makepula have reached fever pitch with scores of people expected to flock to Bungu’s pre- medical examination at a beachfront hotel at noon today.
Bungu is defending his International Boxing Organisation (IBO) featherweight for the first time against fiery Gauteng challenger Thomas ‘Merciless’ Mashaba at the Absa Stadium on Saturday night.
Makepula, coincidentally Bungu’s former stablemate, has put his WBC International junior-bantamweight crown on the line against tough Russian, Andrey Kostin, at the Orient Theatre here on Friday night.
The two fights will be televised by M-Net Supersport and SABC-TV respectively.
Already the two rival television networks have arrived in the city and are in fierce competition to win over viewers.
To show his determination to upset Bungu, Mashaba has demanded to fly to today’s pre-medical examination although he could have had his own in Johannesburg.
Promoter Mzi Mnguni said Mashaba would fly back home immediately after the medical and return for the fight on Friday.
“He wants to be here,” Mnguni said.
On Saturday night, the IBO will be represented by Englishman Charlie Payne who will also serve as fight supervisor.
Payne’s compatriots, Terry O’Connor and Richie Davies, will be judging and refereeing the fight respectively.
Two other judges Aubrey Erasmus and Melvin Gross will arrive from Cape Town. The English entourage and their Cape Town counterparts arrive here on Thursday.
Makepula and Kostin held their pre-medical examinations in Johannesburg yesterday while Tshepo Lefele held his own in Cape Town for his international bout against Elmer Gejon of the Philippines.
Gejon will only arrive in the country tomorrow as he encountered visa problems and will be here on Thursday morning for the official weigh-in at the Orient that afternoon.
