Cuban boxing genius Guillermo Rigondeux tops a major UK fight card against James Dickens this weekend, but it is an undercard fight that will hold intrigue for SA fight fans.
Despite closing in on his 43rd birthday, veteran Mzonke Fana, who hails from Khayelitsha, will go in search of his second world title when he challenges unbeaten WBO champion Terry Flanagan.
The action will be broadcast live on SuperSport 7 from 10.50pm on Saturday.
It’s a favourable turn-up for the South African, who was expected to feature on the Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko tournament that was ditched a fortnight ago.
Fana is the clear B-sider in this Cardiff contest. His nine defeats over 22 years suggests he won’t have enough in the tank against a battler like Flanagan, who is as tough as they come. The Manchester native is essentially a boxer, but he can brawl, too, and will fancy his chances of outworking the rugged South African.
Fana is supremely fit and will rely on the experience of his 47 fights, which include elite-level contests against big names like Marco Antonio Barrera, Paulus Moses and Cassius Baloyi.
Rigondeaux is a two-time Olympic champion who is so good that boxing trainer Freddie Roach once described him as “probably the greatest talent I’ve ever seen.”
Even so, he can be frustrating to watch on account of his style, which is efficient rather than exciting.
The southpaw’s WBA super-bantamweight title will be on the line and for SuperSport viewers it will present an opportunity to watch one of the supreme fight practitioners at work.
