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.
