The perception that Duncan Village star Siyabulela Hem will have a height disadvantage when challenging Khaya Busakhwe for the SA lightweight boxing title was proven invalid at the pre-medical examination at Selborne Park on Thursday.
The towering Hem was inches above Busakhwe when they engaged in a face-off after checking their weights, swinging the odds in his favour.
They meet at the same venue on Saturday in a Xaba Promotions show also featuring the SA junior lightweight title defence by Asanda Gingqi against unbeaten challenger Katlego Khanyisa.
While Gingqi’s defence has piqued interest due to the fact that it will pit his promoter, Ayanda Matiti, against Khanyisa’s manager, Colin Nathan, for the first time after their reconciliation, Hem’s audacious three-division leap to challenge Busakhwe is viewed as a huge gamble.
In his last fight in April, he was stopped by unheralded Ardy Katompa.
Busakhwe admitted that he was surprised when he received an offer to defend against Hem.
“But in boxing I have learnt to take every challenge seriously, regardless of who is in front of me,” he said.
“Fortunately I have watched Hem’s fights so I know what to expect.”
Busakhwe’s trainer, veteran Norman Hlabane, said a problem in his charge’s title reign had been the lack of challengers, having last defended the belt when he stopped then KuGompo City-trained Sinethemba Blom a year ago.
“We are hungry for activity, so when we got this challenge we readily accepted it,” he said.
Hem promised to win his second title after his reign as the SA junior featherweight champion, a status he insisted was still his.
“I am still an SA champion because I have not vacated the belt as yet,” he said.
After tipping the scales at 61.65kg, just five grams over Busakhwe, Hem said it had been a while since he felt strong in his fight preparations.
“I thought I was able to squeeze myself into junior featherweight division, but by fight day I could feel that my power was gone,” he said.
“The last straw was when I lost to Katompa, and I felt I could not subject my body to this torture anymore.”
Matiti said the tournament would serve as a memory of the 1993 SA flyweight title clash between Zolile Mbityi and Toto Makorotlo, which popularised the venue.
“It is a perfect fit for our eighth anniversary of the Heritage Month celebrations, and that is why we decided to bring this tournament here.”
Khanyisa, who will be fighting in the city for the first time as a professional, said he was not intimidated to challenge a veteran like Gingqi.
“I was an amateur star, and I recall fighting in Mdantsane in 2017, but as a professional I will be fighting here for the first time and what better way than to walk away with the SA title,” he said.
Gingqi, who also had an illustrious amateur career, said he had never met Khanyisa in the unpaid ranks.
“You say which year you campaigned in the amateurs?” he asked him.
“By that time I had all I needed to win, so you came after me.”