SA welterweight champion Shaun Ness will make his first title defence against Ntuthuko Memela in the headliner of “Prospects at the Palace III” at Emperors Palace on July 24.
It’s a rematch of their thrilling fight in 2014 that went down to the wire and was ruled a draw.
Ness subsequently travelled to Anelisa Gungqisa’s Port Elizabeth back yard to wrest the vacant national title last October, proving his quality on the road.
Ness (9-1-2) has been unbeaten in the five years since joining Colin Nathan’s gym. A product of the famous Ness family – his father Nicky is arguably the most decorated amateur coach in SA – Shaun is himself a hard-working, loyal fighter.
Says Nathan: “He’s highly underrated, as Gungqisa found to his cost. He works so hard and is fully committed. Fans can expect a top performance.”
Memela is coming off a big win, having stopped an admittedly shopworn Phillip Ndou in February.
The KZN southpaw showed in his first fight against Ness that he’s a rugged competitor and will be looking to be successful in what will be his second tilt at the SA championship.
In another excellent match, Golden Gloves has also confirmed the rematch between DeeJay Kriel and Ayanda Dulani, who drew last time out, on the undercard. Kriel admitted his game was off, although Dulani showed enough skills to suggest he won’t be easily beaten whatever the circumstances.
