Deon Potgieter
Two of South Africa’s best will be in action on the undercard of the Lennox Lewis-Hasim Rahman universal heavyweight world title fight at Carnival City in the early hours of Sunday morning. Lehlohonolo Ledwaba, the best pound-for-pound boxer active in South Africa at the moment, makes the fifth defence of his International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior- featherweight world title in the main supporting bout.
His challenger is World Boxing Union (WBU) champion Carlos Contreras. The big-hitting Mexican will relinquish his title as he steps into the ring, the same as WBU heavyweight champion Rahman will be doing to take on Lewis.
Contreras won his title when stopping another South African, Charles Mailula, in 11 rounds in August last year. Since then he has defended it three times and feels ready for the big league. His record stands at 16 wins, four losses and two draws, with 11 knock-outs, compared to Ledwaba’s 32 wins, one loss and one draw with 21 knockouts.
Bar a lucky punch or the Sowetan slipping and knocking himself out, there is no way Contreras can win this bout. He is a big puncher so expect fireworks as long as this one lasts, but it’s sure to be all over within five rounds.
It’s hoped that an exciting display of the IBF champion’s fistic talents will land him a regular spot on HBO, which will be screening the bout live in the United States.
Another talented fighter hoping to impress is former undefeated IBF mini-flyweight champion Zolani Petelo.
This is Petelo’s first bout at junior-flyweight. While champion, Petelo was universally regarded as the best in his division. His opponent on the morning is no great shakes. Roberto Gomez comes into the fight with 10 wins and five losses compared to Petelo’s 16 wins, two losses and two draws.
This bout is seen as a leg-stretching exercise for Petelo while negotiations continue for him to be matched in a big-money fight against IBF junior-flyweight champion Ricardo Lopez. If Petelo underestimates Gomez, he may be in for a surprise, however. Mexican fighters are generally tough and durable and always capable of scoring upsets.
Also matched against a boxer who shouldn’t give him too much trouble is South African junior-welterweight Stephen Carr, who will be strutting his stuff against Canadian Darrel Sukerow.
Carr has an enthusiasm in the ring many fighters lack and looks to have the potential of developing into a world beater. His division is one of the toughest out there, so while it’s good for him to build up his experience before taking on the likes of Kostya Tszyu, Zab Judah or even Mickey Ward, it would be better if he were matched against a higher level of opposition than he has been of late.
He may be the All Africa champion, but if he’s to make an impact on the world stage he needs to fight opposition who will push him to his true potential.