Nelson Mandela Bay female boxing champion Owethu Rula is set to step onto the international stage when she challenges for the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Female Junior Bantamweight title at the end of November.
The proposed world title opportunity has been welcomed by the Nelson Mandela Bay boxing fraternity, with the city’s female fighters continuing to carry the region’s professional boxing fortunes.
Rula holds the Eastern Cape female flyweight title and is set to challenge a Japanese opponent for the WBF international crown.
She is among a group of female champions from the region that includes WBF International Female Junior Welterweight champion Nozipho “Intsimbi” Bell and South African female junior heavyweight champion Razel “The Machine” Mohamed.
The only male boxer holding a regional title is Lisakhanya Marenene, the Eastern Cape super-middleweight champion, who is ranked seventh in the South African ratings.
At the only boxing tournament staged at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on 6 June this year, Bell, a former two-time South African female junior lightweight champion and former WBF African and WBF International female lightweight champion, defeated Zimbabwe’s Chiedza Homakoma to claim the WBF junior welterweight title.
Mohamed also successfully defended her national junior heavyweight title against her challenger, Limpopo’s Rollen Muleba, on the same bill.
The region’s last two male provincial champions were Eastern Cape middleweight champion Durandt Verwey and Kariega’s Mzwabantu Dabaza, who held the Eastern Cape junior flyweight title.
Dabaza relinquished his title after a car accident left him unable to register with Boxing South Africa (BSA) to defend it. Verwey, meanwhile, did not complete his BSA registration.
The scarcity of champions has also contributed to a shortage of professional boxing events in the region, limiting opportunities for emerging fighters who depend on supporting bouts to gain valuable experience at national and international tournaments.
Universal Boxing Promotions head David Faas is putting the final arrangements in place for the international tournament that will feature Rula’s title challenge.
“I already have a sanctioning letter from WBF President Howard Goldberg, and now I am only busy with the final touches with Boxing South Africa (BSA), the country’s boxing governing body,” Faas said.
Caiphus Ntante, the 2025 WBF Boxing Manager of the Year and manager of Rula, Bell and Marenene, confirmed that Rula and Marenene have signed contracts for their respective bouts, which are expected to take place towards the end of November.
“We are working very hard in the gym preparing for the fight and, yes, we can confirm we’ve already signed contracts,” Ntante said.
Rula’s planned title challenge could provide another major boost for female professional boxing in Nelson Mandela Bay, while giving the Gqeberha fighter an opportunity to establish herself on the international stage.
Nceba Dladla
dailydispatch.co.za