On the back of announcement thatAfrica Boxing is returning in 2022, ESPN Africa is proud to share the final fight card for the inaugural event, taking place this Thursday, 27 January. The fight card features a diverse range of the continent’s boxing talent which will be televised to more than 60 million homes across Africa and Latin America.
Coming to you on the last Thursday of every month, ESPN Africa Boxing will feature a minimum of five main fights per event, with a promise to showcase the best of boxing talent from across the continent. The action will also feature one all-female bout per event in order to help grow the sport and provide aspiring young female boxers with a platform. With the immense popularity of the sport on the continent, viewers can look forward to fierce competition as fighters duel for glory in the ring.
The main event will see South African Koos ‘The Great Last Warrior’ Sibiya taking on Botswana’s Steven ‘Small’ Bagwasi in a Junior Lightweight contest over ten rounds. Sibiya comes into this bout eager for victory, with high spirits and eager to hand Bagwasi only the second defeat of his career.
The final fight card, that features six fights on the main card, in what promises to be an action packed evening at this week’s event, is as follows:
MAIN EVENT
Jnr Lightweight 10 rounds
Koos Sibiya
23W-16L-5D
V
Steven Bagwasi (BOT)
6W-1L-0D
Female jnr featherweight 6 rounds
Gabisile Tshabalala
10W-5L-1D
V
Ellen Simwaka (MWI)
8W-5L-2D
Middleweight 4 rounds
Donjuan van Heerden
1W-1L-0D
V
Khodani Nephalane
Pro Debut
Lightweight 4 rounds
Clement Pilusa
0W-1L-1D
V
Katlego Khanyisa
1W-0L-0D
Featherweight 6 rounds
Gerard Titus
3W-1L-0D
V
Sphamandla Manqatha
2W-0L-1D
Lightweight 8 rounds
Prince Ndlovu
12W-10L-4D
V
Kutlwano Ogaketse (BOT)
5W-2L-1D
Known for its premium broadcast production, ESPN is set to deliver a high-quality boxing viewing experience, that will be available to view live on ESPN (DStv 218, Starsat 248), SABC Sport and selected international broadcasters including ESPN across Latin America, , as well as a highlights package in TKO (SABC 2, Fridays at 21:30).
“Embracing Africa’s rich legacy of boxing champions, ESPN Africa Boxing will showcase some of our continent’s best talent to a global audience which will hopefully give them a platform to progress and challenge for World Titles in the near future” says Kyle De Klerk, Director of Sports, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “We are thrilled to be hosting a line-up of stellar boxing talent this week, all of whom promise to deliver superb boxing prowess” he added.
“From journeys to the stadium, to the action on the fields and in the ring, ESPN Africa broadcasts all the moments audiences love to experience, watch and follow together. The return of Africa Boxing continues our commitment to showcase nail-biting, exhilarating sporting action to viewers of all ages,” says Christine Service, Senior Vice President and General Manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa. “We are excited to add ESPN Africa Boxing to our unprecedented portfolio of sporting leagues and looking forward to contributing to the growth of this sport on the continent” she added.
How to tune in:
ESPN: DStv 218, Starsat 248
- All times are stated in CAT / SAST.
- Schedule subject to change
SABC Sport
For updates regarding ESPN Africa Boxing and other sports, fans can connect to @ESPNAfrica on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit https://www.espn.com/.
