Boxing: Bongco defends ranking against Nolawu
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sowetan
South African boxer Simnikiwe “Nuclear Bomb” Bongco will defend his national ranking against Sivenathi Nolawu in a six-round bout scheduled for 7 November at the Sandton Convention Centre. Bongco, a 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, has had five professional fights since turning professional in 2024, the Sowetan reported.
South African boxer Simnikiwe “Nuclear Bomb” Bongco will defend his fourth place in the national junior middleweight rankings against sixth-ranked Sivenathi Nolawu in a six-round bout on 7 November at the Sandton Convention Centre, at an Aquila Boxing Promotion event, the Sowetan reported.
Bongco has had five professional fights since turning professional in 2024. He won his last two bouts by stoppage under the guidance of Peter Smith. “I know I’m going to win, but it won’t be a walk in the park,” he told the newspaper.
A bronze medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in England, Bongco had 238 amateur bouts, winning 229. He left the amateur circuit in April 2024, when he was close to qualifying for the Olympics. He says he is concerned about the slow pace of his professional career and believes he could soon challenge Jarred Silverman, ranked third in South Africa’s junior middleweight division.
Silverman is due to face Stephanus Pypers over six rounds next month. A full-time boxer, Bongco also says he needs fights to earn money to pay his rent and support several dependants.
