Boxing: 'Grudge Fight' for Lewele and Mthembu

It could be like two locomotives colliding when Lucky Lewele fights Patrick Mthembu for the South African junior welterweight title at Park Station in Johannesburg tomorrow night.

Their 12-rounder will be the main contest of the Rainbow Boxing Promotion (RBP) programme. The two boxers are meeting for the second time, their first coming in Durban last year where Lewele flattened Mthembu in the 12th and final round to retain his national belt.

The loser of this fight, dubbed the 'Grudge Fight', should have little difficulty in finding transport back home as the bus and taxi ranks are just a stones throw away from the venue which will be hosting a professional boxing tournament for the first time.

Lewele comes from Limpopo while Mthembu hails from Kwa-Nongoma near Tugela Ferry in KwaZulu-Natal. Lewele could be ring rusty, having donned boxing gloves last in September when he stopped Barend van Rooyen in five rounds, while Mthembu is fresh from a points win over Martin Jacobs to claim the vacant Gauteng title in February.