How Mthalane guided Dumisa to victory over Mntungwa

Usually, trainers come under scrutiny when their boxers lose fights but too little credit is given to them when their fighters win matches.

This is the case with young trainer Sanele “Bhunu” Mthalane, who was able to replace Sandile Dumisa’s negative thoughts with positive affirmations, which led him to win a nerve-racking match against Siphesihle Mntungwa in Durban on Saturday night.

Mntungwa became infamous after the tragic death of Smiso Buthelezi at King Edward VII Hospital in June last year. Mntungwa made it even worse when he referred to himself as the “KiIler Team” on social media posts.

The stoppage was bizarre. Buthelezi started punching an invisible opponent, away from Mntungwa, and referee Elroy Marshall stopped the fight. Buthelezi was then rushed to hospital where doctors discovered a brain bleed. He was placed in a medically induced coma but passed away three days later.

Facing such a fighter was a daunting task for Dumisa, whose KwaZulu-Natal lightweight belt was on the line.

“I had to constantly tell him that he must believe in himself and that we’ve trained hard for it and we can do it,” said 33-year-old Mthalane on Tuesday.

The fight in Durban on Saturday night was Mntungwa’s return to action since that tragedy.

“The fight against Buthelezi was not mentioned even once during our preparations. I wanted him (Dumisa) to focus on the fight against Siphesihle.”

He said Mntungwa’s approach was to win by a knockout. “But instead Dumisa dropped him in round two,” said Mthalane.

Mthalane – the younger brother to retired former two-times IBF and IBO flyweight world champion Moruti Mthalane – said his champion from Empangeni is yet to earn recognition from Boxing SA’s ratings committee.

Dumisa is Mthalane’s only champion since the former amateur boxer – whose career was cut short by an injury while riding a bicycle in 2010 – ventured into training. He has a WBF junior bantamweight champion – Gcina Makhoba – in his Mthalane Boxing Academy in Lindelani.

But Makhoba was under trainer Nathi Hlatshwayo when he won that title in December last year.

“My other fighter, Wendy Gcado, will challenge for the SA super middleweight female belt that is vacant and she will face Lillian Molala in February,” said Mthalane.