New Heights for Bagwasi after World Title Triumph

His victory has given him to the status of “The Man to Beat” in his division, writes BONGANI MALUNGA

Steven Bagwasi Jr lived up to the pre-fight hype when he defeated his Tanzanian opponent, Said Chino, to grab the World Boxing Federation (WBF) super featherweight title on home ground last weekend.

Organised by Scud Missile Boxing Promotions, the UB Indoor Sports Arena had a thrilling night of eight bouts of boxing but the headline fight between Bagwasi and Chino was the main talking point.

 

Worth the hype
As the current holder of the featherweight title, the Drad Boxing Club’s pugilist has now reached the pinnacle of boxing in his division. The Botswana boxer won by a unanimous decision a display of dominance over his opponent.

The judges were all in agreement that Bagwasi was the superior fighter on the night with the official scorecard of 120-107 in the local boxer’s favour.

Bagwasi’s professional record now stands at 8-0-1, meaning eight wins, no draw and one defeat. This was the crowning moment for a boxer whose professional career started in 2017.

After years of being tipped for regular title fights, Bagwasi has now ascended to the featherweight throne and assumed the status of “The Man to Beat” in his division.

 

Bouncing back
Bagwasi’s first professional loss was in 2018 against South Africa’s Ayanda Nkosi. He managed to regroup and overcome the setback in spectacular fashion with four successive victories to demonstrate that he had learned from the defeat.
Three out of four of his victories have been by unanimous decisions after making light work of his opponents.

 

The undercards
Prior to the main fight last Friday, there were numerous entertaining bouts which saw local boxer Moabi Ngaka record a draw against South Africa’s Selena Maduna in a super bantamweight clash.

But one of Botswana’s most promising boxers, Tshepang ‘Gearbox’ Babui, suffered defeat against compatriot Tefo Letshikgane in a featherweight bout.

Another local boxer, Tswiige Mmusi, registered a victory against Simphiwe Mhlanga of South Africa in a super welterweight clash. A middleweight contest between Lentswe Zwinila and Kagiso Ntoti saw Zwinila emerge victorious. Tebogo Rennie won his lightweight bout against Moseki Maiketso.

In other bantamweight bouts, Romeo Nkisa downed his SA competitor Mamela Sithole while Boifang Kenaope recorded a draw against SA’s Cedric Chauke.