Teenager with fire in his fists

Lawrence Boyce has dedicated his life to uncovering new boxing talent in the Eastern Cape.

As a fighter himself, he had what could be described as an "intra-ordinary" career, never possessing the skills that were heaped on his late half-brother, Mzukisi Sikali.

Yesterday marked nine years since the untimely death of Sikali, stabbed to death by two young thugs for his cellphone in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage.

Lawrence helped me when I spent a few weeks down there eight years ago, researching the life and times of Sikali for a feature series in the Sunday Times.

We spoke much about how the standard of boxing in South Africa was decaying; that the new crop of fighters was not in the class of Sikali.

He was a slick southpaw who could counter or attack.

He had the moves of an artist and the intent of an assassin, but Sikali's success was rooted in his love for the sport.

"When I was boxing as an amateur I didn't think about money," Sikali told me once. "I didn't even know you could earn money from boxing. I boxed because I loved it."

I frequently remember Sikali's words when I watch rookie professionals. Too many possess neither flair nor ambition for the sport - their goal seems to be making a quick buck.

During our many chats, Boyce and I developed a mantra - to find the next Sikali. Boyce has been training aspiring amateur fighters in the township for years now, still searching for that special talent.

I've been looking in the rings of Gauteng, although with much less frequency these days than I used to.

Earlier this year, I found him.

Miranda Malajika, just 13 and with only 10 fights to his name, impressed me like many, many professionals had failed to impress. He was fighting in an arbitrary age-group bout, and he pulverised his opponent in 40 seconds.

In that brief time he displayed punching power, smooth head movement, composure, cockiness and a killer instinct.

He also has a love for the game. I watched him watching one of his brothers fight - he bobbed and weaved and feinted and punched for every second of the fight, acting out what he would do if he had been in the ring.

Malajika is the youngest of five boxing brothers who train at the South Hills Recreation Club. They may be poor, but they are blessed with talent - especially Miranda and the second-youngest, Ricardo, already a two-time national age-group champion.

I wrote a feature about them for the Sunday Times a few months ago, but the reason I mention Malajika now is that this past weekend he was selected to represent Gauteng at his age-group champs next month.

This will be his first taste of top-flight competition, and he may struggle.

Malajika's biggest problem has been getting fights - since I saw him in March he's had two bouts, and won them both in the first round.

According to Boyce, inactivity is not a hurdle in the Eastern Cape, with tournaments almost every weekend.

Malajika is likely to come up against youngsters from that region who are more experienced.

I'm not expecting him to win, but I'm excited knowing he is starting what promises to be a fantastic journey. South African boxing needs another Sikali.