Deon Potgieter boxing Although Jacob Mofokeng is disappointed Oleg Maskaev pulled out of their September 1 clash at Carnival City, he’s eager to get into the ring with Anton Nel for the national heavyweight title – a title he believes is still his. Maskaev, who is now in line to challenge Evander Holyfield for the World Boxing Association heavyweight world title, decided not to risk his title shot by taking on Mofokeng. A win over the likes of Maskaev would have catapulted Mofokeng into the who’s who of world heavyweights and secured his financial future. Golden Gloves, the promoters of the bout, have assured both boxers that the winner will be given the opportunity of fighting the top heavyweights in the world. The fighters have met in the ring once before. In 1992 Mofokeng took a four-round points decision over Nel. “It was only Nel’s second professional fight though,” says Mofokeng, “so obviously he would have improved by now.” Mofokeng, a former World Boxing Union cruiserweight world champion, became the first black man to win the supreme national heavyweight title last year, when he stopped Isaac Mahlangu in the 11th round. However, he was stripped of the title for testing positive for the use of a banned substance in a fight earlier the same year in Britain. He was subsequently banned from boxing for a year, but returned to the ring with a vengeance in May and demolished the International Boxing Council cruiserweight champion, Tua Bjorn Thomson, in four rounds. “The national [heavyweight] title was taken away from me by Mava Malla [former CEO of the South African Boxing Commission],” says Mofokeng. “I never lost it in the ring, so it’s still my title.” The man who will be in Nel’s corner come fight night is the same man who was in Mofokeng’s corner the night he beat Nel. “I think Mofokeng is a lazy cruiserweight,” says Nic Durandt. “I trained him for four years and 18 fights and he always made the cruiserweight limit comfortably. Now he’s fighting as a heavyweight.” Nel, who had been training for a August 26 bout in the United States that fell through, is fighting fit and keen on putting up a good display against Mofokeng. Although he looked powerful in winning the national heavyweight title in December last year by stopping Sam Ubokane in one round, the champion hasn’t lit up the scene yet. An impressive win over Mofokeng would enhance his reputation. “I don’t see it being an easy fight for either boxer,” says Durandt. “They’re both competitive fighters. Mofokeng has good hand speed, but I don’t think he’ll carry a lot of his power into the heavyweight division. Nel has two fight plans and is very motivated for this bout.” If Mofokeng upsets the champion, he will be the first fighter to win the national heavyweight title a second time since Nick van den Berg did so on December 4 1920, when he stopped Seaman Pascall in six rounds in Johannesburg. “I know it’s important for me to beat Nel,” says Mofokeng. “It will pave the way for big fights in the future. I’m also glad to have the opportunity of reclaiming a title which should still be mine.”
Ironically, even though Nel is the national champion, he has a chequered record and has far more to gain from this bout than Mofokeng does. Nel did stop the current World Boxing Federation (WBF) heavyweight world champion, Mike Bernardo, in one round early in his career, but that’s not saying much, as the title holds little credibility. Theoretically, a bout between Bernardo and Nel for the WBF world title would be an interesting match-up, but would anybody care? The Nel-Mofokeng bout is a far more exciting prospect, with the winner standing in line to be featured on Cedric Kushner’s heavyweight explosion bills in the US. Kushner controls many good fighters and impressive performances by Nel or Mofokeng on the heavyweight explosion bills could lead to lucrative match-ups. Good local heavyweight action has been rare in the past 20 years and this could be a good one. A loss for Nel would be devastating to his career, although the Bernardo fight would probably still be possible. A loss for Mofokeng would end his heavyweight aspirations and force him back to the cruiserweight division. Look for both fighters to elevate their performance levels. I’d give Mofokeng the edge on experience and skill, but Nel does have a punch – and, in the heavyweight division, sometimes that’s all you need.