Top Musangwe fighters show their mettle at Lumveleni tournament

Local bare-knuckle fist-fighting champion Thuso “Ngwazi” Ramukakate proved to all and sundry that he is still one of the best traditional fist fighters around when he beat all his challengers during the Musangwe Traditional Fist Fighting Tournament held at the Lumveleni Sports Ground in Ngudza village on Saturday, 3 February.

Spurred on by a horde of his die-hard supporters, the tough-as-old-boots fighting machine from the bumpy village of Matangari dealt with his opponents like a true pro. His fans ululated and jumped onto the unguarded battlefield each time the champion celebrated another brutal victory by performing his well-known “Ngwazi Dance”, where he balances two cellphones on top of his well-crafted chest and starts dancing around without their falling to the ground.

Speaking to Limpopo Mirror shortly after the tournament on Saturday, Ramukakate said that, even though some doubting Thomases still questioned his fighting skills, he was the best fist-fighting champion around at the moment. “All I can say for now is, bring the best to challenge me, and I will continue to prove to them that I am the toughest. I am not in the business of talking about my talent; I let my punches do the job. Bring them on, and I will do the rest,” he said.

The tournament was further spiced up by a group of up-and-coming young fighters who displayed great skills. Fans were especially amazed by the skills and power of Nungo “The Grinding Machine” Nekhubvi, who knocked his opponents out with one straight punch. The youngster has the punching power of the great Tony Liston and George Foreman, and the ducking skills of the late Cassius Clay, better known as Mohamed Ali. He is lightning fast, and his punching power makes him a clear candidate for a professional boxing license in the not-too-distant future.

Local professional boxing trainer Mr John “Smoking Joe” Nemakonde also attended to scout for boxing talent.

Date:10 February 2024

By: Victor Mukwevho

Victor Mukwevho Ne-vumbani joined the Mirror during it's inception in 1990. He joined the SABC newsroom in 1995, and was known by  listeners as "A u fhedzisela ari". He was a news editor for The Tembisan Newspaper from 2007 to 2015. He rejoined the Limpopo Mirror newspaper in June 2022 as a freelance journalist.

Read: 6256