DEON POTGIETER, Johannesburg | Saturday 6.15pm
XOLANI Ndeleni scored a controversial draw with IBC junior bantamweight world champion Jesper Jensen in Denmark on Friday night.
“You know they say if you score a draw in Denmark, you know you actually won the fight,” said Mike Segal, Ndeleni’s promoter told ZA*Sports from Denmark.
“Xolani dominated the first eight rounds of the fight, but Jensen came back strongly in the end. Being the defending champion he was probably given the benefit of the decision,” said Segal.
This was Ndeleni, the current national junior bantamweight champion’s 15 professional fight as opposed to Jensen’s fortieth.
“We’ll be looking to secure Ndeleni another world title fight as he really showed off his class in this one.” said Segal.
Jacob Mofokeng returned to boxing with a vengeance after his one year suspension for inadvertently using a forbidden substance.
Mofokeng knocked the undefeated Dane Tua Bjorn Thomson out cold in the third round, after dropping him three times earlier in the fight.
Thomson, the IBF intercontinental cruiser-weight champion, was unconscious for close on two minutes.
“Jacob was awesome,” said Segal. “I’ll be meeting with Barry Hearn next week in London to discuss his future. This win will definitely put him back in the world rankings and a title shot may be in the offing.”
This fight was a non-title bout so Mofokeng did not win the title.
Gary Murray was yet again robbed of his opportunity of fighting Frank Olsen. Olsen suffered a back injury two days before the bout and had to withdraw from the fight. The national commission prevented Murray from challenging Olsen for the IBC welterweight world title last year.
Olsen has since lost his world title but holds the IBF intercontinental title.