Mayweather disappoints fans in Dube

17 January 2014 - 03:15 By BONGANI MAGASELA
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ON THE ROPES: Floyd Mayweather, five-time world champion in different weight divisions, on a short visit to South Africa, yesterday put in an appearance at Dube Boxing Club in Soweto, where a plaque in memory of Baby Jake Matlala was unveiled
ON THE ROPES: Floyd Mayweather, five-time world champion in different weight divisions, on a short visit to South Africa, yesterday put in an appearance at Dube Boxing Club in Soweto, where a plaque in memory of Baby Jake Matlala was unveiled
Image: ALON SKUY

US boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather jnr's trumpeted visit to the famed Dube Boxing Club in Soweto yesterday turned out to be a damp squib that left many disappointed.

Mayweather - who is notorious for his tardiness - showed up nearly three hours late and then left those who had spent most of the day waiting patiently for him seething when he stayed for barely more than five minutes.

Boxing fans who descended on the venue in large numbers - including ANC stalwart Andrew Mlangeni - had been told that Mayweather was to display his skills inside a ring in the venue as part of an exhibition associated with his visit to the club.

But after delivering a few lines from the podium, he was whisked away while some fans were still making their way into the venue.

No apology was offered for his late arrival and no explanation was given for his quick departure on a day that had been billed as one of the highlights on the calendar of his tour of SA.

''You must stay focused, dedicated and push yourselves to the limit," he said, before his unceremonious departure. ''You must listen to your cornermen, hear and do ... then everything is possible."

He stayed long enough to help sports minister Fikile Mbalulaunveil a plaque dedicated to boxing legend Jacob ''Baby Jake" Matlala - who used to train at the club and passed away last month - before departing.

The minister said the lives of boxers who are using a gym that has produced numerous legends of the sport - including Levi Madi, Anthony Morodi, Alfred Buqwana and Matlala, among others - would never be the same after yesterday.

''This facility is dilapidated. We will upgrade it and name it after Matlala," said Mbalula of the gymnasium that in reality has all the training equipment a gym needs.

It seems that many of the residents of Dube were not briefed about the visit. Some said it was not until they saw the flurry of activity around the venue that they became aware something was about to take place.

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