Dingaan ”Rose of Soweto” Thobela is not done yet. The 38-year-old fighter will fight Lucian Bute over eight rounds in the light heavyweight division in Canada on December 3.
Bute (26), a novice with only eight knockout wins in as many fights, will take on the 38-year-old veteran of 54 fights.
Thobela boasts 40 wins (26 KOs), 12 losses and two draws. In his last fight, he was outpointed by Bute’s countryman Ortis Grant over eight rounds last November.
That was after Thobela was stopped in the eighth round by another Canadian fighter, Eric Lucas, two or three years back.
In fact, Thobela has lost four fights consecutively since surrendering his WBC super middleweight belt to Dave Hilton in Canada in 2000.
One of those losses was against Mikkel Kessler for the IBA title in Denmark in December 2002.
Thobela was advised to quit after being stopped by Grant, a man who had not fought for five years since he was involved in a near-fatal accident.
But Thobela said that time has not yet come.
”I will be victorious this time round. I am happy that I will not fight [as] a senior citizen but a youngster who is full of energy. I know that he is being groomed but they chose a wrong opponent because I will cripple him — ngizomxhwalisa,” he warned.
”I have promised all the fight fans in Montreal that it is for real this time. This will be an eye-opener that I am not a washed up as a fighter.”
Thobela said Bute will feel the heat.
”I will load him with power shots from the first round and jerk him off the ground with my left uppercut.
”I will definitely not leave the decision with the judges because I will not win if it goes the distance.
”It has to end quickly with him on the canvas,” said Thobela.
Asked when he had started training, Thobela said: ”I do not care — anginandaba.”
Their fight will be the main preliminary bout to Lucas and Tony Mcnefee. The tournament will be promoted by Inter Box. — Sapa