It’s high noon for South Africa’s top female pro boxer Simangele “Smash” Hadebe in Puebla, Mexico.

https://www.discoversport.com/watch/d7f8a32a-3963-4e3a-838c-77bf0a1e85e

The 31-year-old Hadebe (14-3-2, 5 KOs) is challenging Mexico’s Gabriel “Bonita” Sanchez (11-6-0, 1KO) for her WBC silver flyweight title at the Ignacio Zaragoza Stadium. The show starts at 7pm Mexico time, and in South Africa Smash should be in the ring by 5am on Saturday morning and 6am East African time on April 5.

Sanchez is defending her WBC silver flyweight title for the third time against an aggressive opponent who is very hungry for success to stamp her authority in big-time boxing. It’s a career defining fight for Smash who has vowed to turn the Mexican into mashed potatoes, and join other top South African boxers who have silenced the Mexicans at their backyard.

“I’m inspired by my compatriots, Sivenathi Nontshinga and Simphiwe Nongqayi who have beaten the Mexicans here Infront of their own fans, so nothing is impossible I can do the same,” Hadebe told boxersworld.co.ke from Puebla after the weigh-in on Thursday.

Nontshinga aka The Special One shocked the Mexicans in February, 2024, when he stopped Mexico’s Adrian Curiel in the 10th round to reclaim his IBF junior flyweight title.

Yet it’s Curiel who had dominated the South African boxer from the early stages of the fight, neutralising Nontshinga’s strategy of fighting from the inside but everything changed in the 9th round when a heavy left hook shocked Curiel and somewhat disorganised his game plan.

The Special One, aware that Curiel had yet to recover from the effects of the hook, went for the kill in the 10th round, unleashing double-fisted flurries, knocking down Curiel at 44 seconds before the referee waved it off to save the cornered Curiel who was not responding to Nontshinga’s onslaught.

Nongqayi from Eastern Cape beat two Mexican brothers at their backyard in 2009. First he defeated Francisco Arce in a title eliminator on February 28, 2009 and in September of the same year he beat Jorge Arce to win the vacant IBF super-flyweight title.

Inspired by the victories of his two compatriots in Mexico, Hadebe said victory is within sight.

“My coach Jack (award-winning Khangelani) has conditioned me to all aspects of the game, I’m also aiming for a knock out if I get the right opening,” said Hadebe who in 2022 made history as the first South African female boxer to win ABU title by decisioning Tanzania’s flyweight Halima Vunjabei whose seconders and the referee Namhla Tyuluba came under heavy criticism from a section of boxing fans for allowing the fight to continue with the Tanzanian’s left eye swollen completely that she was using only the right eye.

“The referee should have stopped the fight in the early rounds because her left eye swollen, she displayed rare courage,” Hadebe said after the fight in the ESPN series.

Hadebe has successfully defended ABU flyweight title twice against Tanzanians, Stumai Muki and Jessica Mfinanga, who retired in the first round unable to absorb more punishment from Hadebe.

As usual, Hadebe – a vocal child sex abuse activist – will also use the fight to create awareness of this vice prevalent in South Africa having herself been a victim at the age of seven but she chose to remain silent until she was 19 years is when she told her mum about it.

“It was such a painful experience, that’s why in all my fights my vest has a badge on child abuse to sensitise the world on this primitive habit by some irresponsible men,” said Hadebe.

“I want all women who’ve been victims of abuse not to remain silent but speak up and share their plight, it has to stop,” said Hadebe.

For fight fans who want to watch Hadebe’s fight, there’s more good news from the founder of DiscoverSport.com, Stephen Watson.

“We are proud to announce that Discover Sport has partnered with SuperSport to ensure SMASH’s WBC fight can be watched by as many fans as possible. Now you can live stream it on DiscoverSport.com or watch it on SuperSport’s Action Channel (Ch 210). SMASH we are all in your corner.

“Discover Sport will also be working with popular boxing commentators, Mr Hayden Jonas and Mr Bongani Magasela, to provide English⁹ commentary, so you don’t have to listen to the Spanish commentary feed. Let’s go!!! Let’s all work together to make boxing great again,” said Watson.

A section of Mexican boxing fans are rooting for South Africa’s Simangele “Smash” Hadebe to clinch WBC Silver flyweight title on Friday against Mexican Gabriel “La Bonita” Sanchez.

The fight will be promoted by Latin KO Promotions

Hadebe’s manager Colleen McAusland is amazed by the warm reception they have been accorded in Puebla, Mexico.

“Smash has been well received by boxing fans in Mexico. A lot of them are putting their money on her to win,” McAusland told boxersworld.co.ke from Mexico.

She said they are fully focused on Friday’s showdown.

“We’ve been concentrating only on our fight, no sight-seeing, we are here to take care of our business and bring the title to Africa soil,” said a confident McAusland who has managed the Africa Africa flyweight champion since 2018.

“The beauty of it all is that whole world will watch the fight, her sponsor DiscoverSport.com paid the broadcaster in Mexico a substantial fee to show the fight to the whole world, thousands of people will be watching.”

A seven-bout card featuring rookies in pro boxing takes place tonight at The Alchemist in the affluent suburb of Westlands in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi.

Promoter Willy Wex, the CEO of AiWex Sports, said all arrangements have been finalised for the all-Kenyan card from 6pm.

“We are parading new pro boxers who’ll be making their pro debuts,” said Wex.

“This is my eighth promotion I’m organising since I ventured into professional boxing in August last year (2024).”

The show will be graced by Nigerian tycoon, Omonlei Imudu who is the CEO of Yucateco Boxing Promotions, the organisers of Yucateco semi-professional league.

“I’m here at the invitation of my friend Willy Wex to learn more from the Kenyans how they organise their events,” said Imudu.

Reigning Africa light-welterweight champion John Paul Masamba made a successful professional debut on Sunday (March 30) in Osaka, Japan, outpointing China’s Yesibolati Nasiyiwula
in a six-round bout.

And Masamba has demanded payment of prize money for all the boxers who participated in the AFBC African Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships in 2024 in Kinshasa, DR Congo.

In Osaka, the South African boxer put up a dominant show at light-welterweight to signal his entry in the bare chested game.

“I’m so happy to turn professional, I’m at peace with myself away from our dishonest and opportunistic Africa boxing leaders, they just want to use boxers for their own benefit, very few have the interest of boxing at heart,” Masamba told boxersworld.co.ke in a telephone interview from Osaka.

“Life in Osaka is fine, a world apart from our struggle back home and disrespectful people, here the Japanese are disciplined with a lot of respect for visitors.

“I’m living my dream, I’m in my own apartment and really admiring Japanese technology, I have my own bike I ride to the gym and back, almost everybody here has a bicycle.”

On the Kinshasa prize money, Masamba said boxers are surprised why there was no mention of their prize money during the tournament. Masamba won gold in the light-welterweight division.

“In Maputo and Yaounde boxers were paid their prize money, why not Kinshasa?, we want to know when AFBC will pay us our prize money,” said Masamba.

“Before departure to Kinshasa, officials of SANABO assured us there’s prize money but we were surprised nobody asked for our bank accounts, we were not even paid our allowances, many African boxers are suffering in silence victims of unprofessional conduct of their officials, they have little regard for
boxers, just liars.”

While thanking the International Boxing Association (IBA) for assisting Africa through the introduction of prize money, Masamba, whose father is Congolese, challenged the Africa Boxing Confederation to look for sponsors and pay the prize money.

“For how long will Africa just be relying on foreigners, there’s a lot of money in Africa if the right people are approached to support AFBC, they should avoid embarrassing the continent by begging from IBA all the time, and this is why they don’t respect us.”

Masamba went on:”In Africa we don’t like each other, we’re always quarelling and stealing from each other. I’m happy I’m away from these vultures. I pray to God to give me strength to succeed in Japan.”

Masamba, who met his relatives in Kinshasa after a long time, blasted South Africa’s boxing federation for hurriedly returning the team back home instead of boxers being given a chance to remain in Kinshasa until the tournament is over.

“I remember how I was rushed out of the boxing hall with my fellow boxers like thieves to catch our flight back home,” recalls a bitter Masamba.

“What was the hurry for? did they want to save some money for themselves?,” wondered Masamba.