John Bopape is a boxer that you can trust as he kept his word of bringing the African Boxing Union (ABU) Middleweight Championship belt to Alexandra.
Section 29, as he is popularly known in boxing circles in the township and beyond, had raised his hand to try his shot at the vacant title. He was not the only one eyeing the championship belt in the fight that took place at Bloemfontein’s Performing Arts Council of the Free State on September 30.
Bopape took on fellow African Mbiya Kanku, a South African resident from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fight was scheduled for 12 rounds but was settled in the second round via a knockout by the Alexandrian who became instantly R45 000 richer from the fight.
Speaking in an interview with Alex News on his return, Section 29 said he was delighted to have kept his word to his loyal supporters in this iconic ‘mother of all townships’ in the country.
“I am truly elated with the achievement as I never expected to knock out Kanku in the competition, let alone in the second round of a scheduled 12 rounds. I had prepared myself to go the full 12 rounds,” Bopape said.
The 31-year-old said he would like to use the belt to serve as an inspiration for the upcoming young boxers in their Jersey Joe Boxing Club stable. “I urge the youngsters to never give up on their dreams and not to allow anything to sway them away from their love. They must always listen to their boxing coach, and their parents and be disciplined at all times.
“As a child, you start by crawling, then you take your baby steps and finally be able to walk properly and ultimately run. They must never want to jump these steps as they are important in life and form the foundation of your development.”
He described the outcome of this fight as a good stepping stone in his career to open doors for fights with more lucrative purses.
Meanwhile, Nkosinathi Kunene (21), a development boxer from the same stable, drew his fight in Booysens on October 2 against Daniel Adams of the Booysens Boxing Club over four rounds in the bantamweight division [53kg] showpiece.
Two judges scored the fight 39 and 37, one in favour of Kunene and the other for Adams while the third judge scored it 38 each which meant that the fight was a drawn affair.
Kunene said in his next bout he would aim for a win. He is a former Alexandra High School matriculant of the Class of 2021, who harbours dreams of a career in sports science and to qualify as a boxing instructor and personal trainer.
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