BOXING
Deon Potgieter
Zolani Petelo, the humble former International Boxing Federation (IBF) mini flyweight champion of the world has been given the opportunity to realise every fighter’s dream.
He will be fighting a boxing legend at the Wimbledon of boxing, Madison Square Garden, on September 15.
Although Petelo was the first South African boxer to be internationally rated as the best in his division since Viccie Toweel reigned as universal bantamweight world champion in the early 1950s, he hasn’t received the acclaim usually accorded such fighters.
A decisive victory at Madison Square Garden could change all that. Petelo will be going up against Ricardo Lopez, a fighter with one of the best pedigrees in the business, for the IBF junior-flyweight world title. Lopez, undefeated after 50 fights with 36 knockouts, previously held the World Boxing Council (WBC) strawweight world title. After making 22 successful defences he relinquished the crown to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) straw-weight title before moving up to the junior flyweight division to win the IBF crown.
He successful defended the IBF title against Rattananopal Sorvoradin, the man Petelo stopped in five rounds to win his mini-flyweight crown in 1997.
Petelo’s victory over Sorvoradin was regarded as the biggest upset of the year. At the time the champion had already made 16 successful defences and had a record of 30 wins, two losses and one draw with 23 knockouts as opposed to Petelo’s nine wins, two losses, two draws with three knockouts.
Petelo defended his title five times, four by way of stoppage, before relinquishing it in June last year. He returned to the ring on the Lennox LewisHassim Rahman undercard in April against plucky Mexican fighter Roberto Gomez and scored a points win over eight rounds.
The LopezPetelo fight, which has been in the making for two years, will be featured on the undercard of the universal middleweight world title clash between Felix Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins.
Although Lopez had his first professional fight when Petelo was just 10 years old, his career has been evenly paced and the Mexican is deemed the best in his division. A win by Petelo would again be an upset, an upset South African boxing vitally needs.