Sidzumo-Okine bout will revive SA, Ghana boxing rivalry

By Mesuli Zifo

SIKHULULE Sidzumo’s clash against Joshua Okine has revived a debate about which country between South Africa and Ghana has better boxers.

Sidzumo, the current SA junior welterweight champion, will face Okine for the vacant IBF Inter-continental welterweight title at Accra International Conference Centre in Ghana on Saturday.

Admittedly the clash will not be a matchup of top fighters from the two countries to sway the debate about which country is superior but it will go a long way in reinforcing the argument.

Over the years SA and Ghana have produced top fighters in the African continent with Brian Mitchell and Azumah Nelson still considered the best boxing products from both countries and remain the only two fighters from the continent to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHF).

Mitchell held the WBA junior lightweight title for which he made 11 defences while Nelson was ruling supreme as the WBC king in the featherweight division before capturing the 130lb version of the title at the time of Mitchell’s reign.

However the unification clash between them never came close to being arranged.

Nelson fought world acclaimed opponents to give his legacy an edge over Mitchell’s and is arguably considered one of the continent’s best fighters of all time.

Mitchell’s resume only contains Tony Lopez as the lone top quality fighter when the South African battled Lopez to a controversial draw in a WBA/IBF unification encounter before he vacated the WBA title to lift the American’s IBF crown in their rematch.

Subsequently Ghana has continued to churn out quality fighters such as Ike Quartey who went on to win the WBA welterweight crown, Joshua Clottey who later annexed the IBF welterweight diadem, his brother Emmanuel Clottey and current IBF bantamweight king Joseph Agbeko just to mention but a few.

Of course SA has also produced its fair share of top fighters such as Vuyani Bungu who holds the record of most world title defences by a local fighter when he retained the IBF junior featherweight crown 13 times, Welcome Ncita (IBF junior feather) Mbulelo Botile (IBF bantam and feather), Zolani Petelo (IBF mini-fly), Philip Holiday (IBF light), Dingaan Thobela (WBA light and WBC super middle), Lehlo Ledwaba (IBF junior feather), Nkosinathi Joyi (IBF mini-fly), Moruti Mthalane (IBF fly), who all won major world titles and earned pound for pound status in their respective divisions.

Saturday clash between the 32-year-old Sidzumo and Okine, 31, may not warrant another round of strong comparison as both boxers can be considered as fringe fighters but the bout can spark a lively boxing debate.

Sidzumo has lost three times and drawn four in 25 bouts and has never faced a foreign foe while Okine (22-4-1, 14Kos) has gained experience fighting in countries such as England, Scotland and US with commendable results.