Popular boxer who frequents Alex, Nomeva, back in action

Fight-starved Xolisani ‘Nomeva’ Ndongeni returns to action on 17 October when he laces up his gloves against Prince Dlomo in an eight-rounder at the Klipspruit Sports Centre in Soweto.

Ndongeni, who spars at the Smiths Boxing Gym in Fourways and a popular boxer who frequents Alexandra on various community projects with Alex businessman George Moyo, is a former International Boxing Organisation (IBO) and World Boxing Federation (WBF) lightweight champion who has not fought since winning the fight against Mbena Rajab from Tanzania at the Portuguese Hall in Johannesburg 13 months ago.

He is going into the Dlomo fight with a two-pronged mission – to get back to action and move up the rankings in world boxing bodies. ”I need to be active and that is very important in my efforts to get back to the top. Not getting fights for a long time was killing me and now I need three fights before I can return to the top,” the 30-year-old KwaBhaca-born boxer said. Ndongeni’s fight against Dlomo is part of TLB Boxing Promotions’ tournament, which has been dubbed ”Still Alive And Punching”.

”I respect the guy as he is a good boxer, but he does not deserve to be in the same ring with me. I’m going to take him deep into the sea and see what he can do,” said a confident Ndongeni. ”I’m always confident when I’m going to fight that’s why I want a convincing win against him. He can try to compete with me, but he will never be on top of me.”

The former South African junior-lightweight and lightweight champion’s duel with Dlomo are going to be the main supporting to erstwhile IBO welterweight king Thulani Mbenge’s vacant African Boxing Union (ABU) welterweight title contest against Mardochee Kuvesa Katembo from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, all the boxers, who are going to take part in this tournament, will face each other at the official weigh-in on 16 October.