Women Only tournament pays tribute to female boxing pioneer Mnguni

The boxing fraternity in East London is expected to show its love and admiration for late boxing icon Mzimasi Mnguni by coming out in numbers to support the inaugural Women Only amateur tournament in his honour at NU 10 Hall in Mdantsane on Friday.

Mnguni, who died in February 2021 aged 73, was the first boxing manager in the Eastern Cape to open the doors of his Eyethu Boxing Gym in Mdantsane to women boxers in 2000. Fighters developed at his gym, who later joined other stables, include Noni “She Bee Stingin” Tenge, Unathi “African Queen” Myekeni and Namhla Tyuluba.

The hall to be used for Friday's National Women's Day event is opposite the house where Mnguni once lived. The Eyethu Shopping Centre he owned was also in the vicinity.

Tenge went on to make history by winning a world title — the IBF belt — in the welterweight division in 2011. Myekeni won the WBF bantamweight belt in 2010 while Tyuluba went on to become a boxing ring official.

“It is through his wise thinking of allowing women to train in his gym that we felt it was proper to stage this Women Only tournament on National Women's Day in honour of Bra Mzi,” said veteran amateur boxing trainer Vuyolomzi Mtekwane, who will be in charge on Friday.

A former driver for playwright, composer, director and producer Gibson Kente, Mnguni, originally from Alice, 120km from East London, produced a plethora of world boxing champions.

These included the first black South African IBF champion Welcome “The Hawk” Ncita, who captured that New York-based sanctioning body's junior featherweight title on March 10 1990, defeating Frenchman Fabrice Benichou at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Mnguni was an astute ring strategist who played a role in the shock victory of Vuyani “The Beast” Bungu when he dethroned Kennedy McKinney for Ncita’s old IBF junior-featherweight title. Mnguni helped Bungu chalk up 13 successful defences of that belt.

He also guided Mbulelo “Slayer” Botile to winning two IBF bantamweight, and IBF and IBO featherweight titles.

Former Olympian Masibulele “Hawk” Makepula won the WBO junior-flyweight title under the guidance of Mnguni, who also helped Zolani “Tiger” Petelo win the IBF straw-weight crown.

Mnguni achieved that greatness with veteran boxing promoter Rodney Berman, whose Golden Gloves guided the careers of all Mnguni's fighters.

“Staging a women only tournament is also an attempt from our side to develop females,” Mtekwana said. “This is the first one and I intend to do this annually and who knows, maybe we will feature males as we go along.

“This is just the beginning; we hope to grow it into a big thing. Our aim is to have something big that will be named after Mnguni.

“I want to achieve a monument where his achievements and the names of the fighters he trained will be engraved for all to see.”