Deon Potgieter
boxing
As the only boxing world champion in South Africa holding one of the “big three” sanctioning bodies’ world titles, Lehlohonolo “Hands of Stone” Ledwaba carries a lot of responsibility on his shoulders this weekend.
He makes the sixth defence of his International Boxing Federation junior-featherweight title as the main supporting bout to Oscar De La Hoya’s World Boxing Council (WBC) super-welterweight world title challenge in Las Vegas on Saturday.
This is Ledwaba’s third defence this year. Although he claims his right hand, which he seriously hurt in his last fight on the Lennox LewisHassim Rahman undercard, has healed completely, it’s unlikely he was able to do sufficient sparring in preparation for this bout.
His opponent is fiery southpaw and WBC international super-bantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao. A noted puncher, Pacquiao is geared up to give Ledwaba the fight of his life and could very well do that.
Fuelling Ledwaba on is his desire to receive international recognition for his fistic abilities and to earn induction into the international boxing hall of fame something no South African fighter has yet received.
There is speculation that Ledwaba is battling to make the junior-featherweight limit. He’s also been complaining about the heat in Vegas. He plans to move up to featherweights, but has said he would first like to unify the junior-featherweight world titles.
@Charities are the winners
Ntuthuko Maphumulo soccer
Next month’s Telkom Charity Cup is not just about a soccer showpiece from four teams before the beginning of the season, but also about those supporters that are aged, the disabled and children.
Gate takings from the games on July 28 and revenue gathered from calls made by fans to vote for which teams appear in the charity cup will go to the disadvantaged. The money is donated to various financially needy organisations around the country. Last year the event did not make as much money as the previous year, so just 38 organisations benefited from the R800 000 donated by the National Soccer League Charity Trust with each organisation getting R21 000.
The amount contributed by the soccer fraternity might seem small to the ordinary citizen, but to those organisations that need the financial assistance it makes a big difference.
The trust was established 15 years ago to protect, promote and restore the socio-economic well being of disadvantaged people in South Africa. Premier Soccer League (PSL) chief executive officer Dr Robin Petersen said: “The charity cup event is not ultimately about soccer, but about serving the needy community.” Petersen said the cup is a critical event in the country’s soccer calendar and is a reminder to people that soccer has a heart and a history.
The winners of the inaugural Telkom Charity Cup last year were Mamelodi Sundowns, who beat Kaizer Chiefs in the final and received a cheque of R150 000.
The telecommunications company stepped in last year as main sponsor. Telkom will sponsor R4,5-million a year over three years with an option to renew. This year’s winners will share prize money of R320 000.
In an effort to eliminate the vote-rigging and other shenanigans that have surrounded previous years’ voting, the organisers have come up with a new system.
A caller will be able to vote for his or her team and three other teams he/she would like to see in the Telkom Charity Cup. Each team has been given a separate phone number and the final four teams will be chosen after all the votes have been counted.
The caller will not be able to vote for the two teams that have recently been promoted to the PSL. There will be no postal votes.
The PSL will try and ensure that this year there is no scandal involved in the voting. In previous years clubs tried to manipulate the system by using computer modems to vote.
The voting began on Wednesday June 20 and will end at midnight on July 20.
n South African soccer supporters and the South African Football Association will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the country’s return to the international soccer fraternity.
Bafana Bafana soon made their presence known on the continent when they hosted and won the African Cup of Nations in 1996 and qualified for the World Cup in 1998. All these achievements will be celebrated at the Soccer Expo at the Sandton Convention Centre from June 29 to July 1.
Supporters will be able to talk to their soccer stars and get autographs.
n A Jomo All Stars XI will play a friendly against the Swazi national team this weekend to benefit former Bafana Bafana player Sizwe Motaung, who is in hospital.