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Amila “Auditor General” Gongqa will waste no time returning to the ring just two months after his dramatic professional debut when he won by a knock-out.
The 18-year-old whose professional run has already captured boxing attention, as he did in the amateur ranks, will face experienced Mthatha boxer Sange Ngoza in a featherweight duel at Orient Theatre in KuGompo City on June 26.
Duncan Village prodigy Amila “Auditor General” Gongqa had massive hype coming into his pro debut, and it lasted just 2:23 minutes as he blasted Zoyiso Sandi to defeat in their featherweight bout at the Orient Theatre in KuGompo City on Friday night.
The former amateur star received the biggest cheer when he made his ring entrance, resembling a newly graduated initiate amid the sacrilegious ‘Somagwaza’ song, often sung in initiation ceremonies, reverberating through the hall.
Once the action started, Sandi launched a sustained offence with his swings finding targets, subjecting the pro-Gongqa crowd to anxious moments.
But the offence seemed to galvanise “AG” into action as his potent left hand thudded on Sandi’s chin, wobbling him to the ropes.
Two more of the same punch punctuated by a right uppercut forced referee intervention.
Alive Ntozakhe, who resembled the great multiple world champion James “Lights Out” Toney, fought every bit like the American boxer when he knocked out Loyiso Bolo in the first round of their featherweight clash.
Ntozakhe displayed Toney’s pose, guile and killer instinct when he turned the lights out on Bolo in the first in spectacular fashion despite making his pro debut.
Luphilo Thwayinga made his pro debut a successful one when he took a unanimous decision win over Sinalo Jonas in their junior bantamweight bout.
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Gongqa was in his most devastating self when he needed less than three minutes to knock out Zoyiso Sandi in his professional debut on April 24.
The fight was on the undercard of the well-documented Mdantsane vs Duncan Village derby between Azinga Fuzile and Asanda Gingqi, which saw Fuzile escape with a debatable points victory.
Despite fighting in the spotlight in his professional debut, Gongqa displayed an impressive performance which convinced his handlers to waste no time in getting him back to the ring in his quest to replicate his amateur success in the paid ranks.
Boxing activity in the province is set to continue unabated after scores of amateur boxers graduated to the professional ranks during the sparring sessions held in Gqeberha and KuGompo City last weekend.
The two regions concluded the month-long programme, which punched off in Cape Town on February 14 and continued to other regions overseen by Boxing South Africa (BSA) and SA National Boxing Organisation officials.
The two bodies worked together to test amateur boxers’ readiness to fight for pay while assessing their talent by sifting through scores of aspirant youngsters.
BSA chief operations officer Mandla Ntlanganiso said 207 boxers graduated from the programme, with the Eastern Cape contributing the biggest number.
“The sessions were met with overwhelming success, with the programme unearthing a wealth of new talent with a strong emphasis on increasing female participation,” he said.
Close to 70 boxers from the province received their pass, with KuGompo City contributing 54, consisting of 52 males and two females, while Nelson Mandela Bay had 14.
Ntlangaiso said the biggest number of graduates were former SA amateur champions, rekindling concerns that the professional setup is bleeding talented boxers from forming a strong SA amateur boxing team.
Several amateur boxers, including Duncan Village hotshot Amila “AG” Gongqa, had already announced they would be turning professional in 2026.
The province graduated four women boxers to increase their pool, which had been flagged as shallow, leading to some provincial government-funded tournaments going ahead without women’s bouts as stipulated in the agreement with BSA.
There have been calls for the provincial development programme, which sees six shows being staged across the province, to be dominated by newly graduated boxers to use it as a breeding ground for talent.
With the provincial leg of the Women In Boxing series coming up when Ola GMM Boxing Promotions stages the event on Sunday next week in Scenery Park, the boost of women boxers will come in handy.
Ntlanganiso congratulated newly graduated professional boxers and called for them to register before March 31.
Breakdown of graduated boxers:
Eastern Cape: (Nelson Mandela Bay 14, Buffalo City 54); North West 5; Free State: (Welkom 9, Bloemfontein 7); Gauteng 28; Northern Cape 4; Limpopo 15; Mpumalanga 35; KwaZulu-Natal 26; Western Cape 19.
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His trainer Mzamo Njekanye said bringing the teen back was geared towards maximising his potential.
“I have always said that this kid is ready for honours, but we do not want to take shortcuts to the top,” he said.
“The key is to keep him active, and I am glad he is being brought back just two months after his pro debut.”
However, while Sandi did not present any challenges for the kid to solve, Ngoza will be no pushover despite suffering a string of losses in his last five bouts.
Ngoza has lost to elite opponents, including former SA featherweight champion Zolisa Batyi, Batyi’s successor Lindelani Sibisi and Ardy Katompa, who upset SA junior featherweight champion Siyabulela Hem in Gongqa’s debut.
For too long, Duncan Village trainer Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye’s sterling job of developing young talent flew under the radar, with his budding boxers often poached before they hit the limelight.
Though some point to his robust attitude and unwillingness to compromise in failed partnerships, Njekanye has continued to unearth boxing gems in the shack-littered township while also accommodating seasoned boxers looking to redeem themselves after stuttering careers.
Having sought promotional homes, which saw him briefly working with heavyweight promoters such as Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves, defunct Rumble Africa Promotions and a slew of others, the no-nonsense mentor never really found a dedicated promotional ally until Ground Up Promotions entered the fray with an inaugural tournament at East London’s Orient Theatre at the weekend.
For the first time in his career, six of his boxers were involved in six of the eight bouts, with most making their professional debuts.
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Besides seasoned practitioners Nhlanhla Tyirha and Yanga Sigqibo, who both joined him to relaunch their careers after fighting under other mentors, Njekanye unleashed promising stars such as Athabile Ngaliphi, Sihle Booi, Siyagcoba Veshiwe and Avuyile Soga, with Molly Gusha’s appearance scuppered by his opponent being overweight.
In an incredible display of talent, all but one romped to devastating victories, with Soga stopped by Nqaba Dantile in the second round of their mini-flyweight clash.
While all displayed unmistakable talent, it was Booi’s second-round stoppage over Thimna Nteta in a featherweight clash that stole the show.
Booi displayed ruthless power and relentless pressure to outmuscle Nteta before overwhelming him with a barrage of punches to force a referee’s intervention.
While Njekanye showered all his prodigies with praise, he admitted that Booi was destined for stardom and set to follow in the footsteps of his biggest product, Azinga Fuzile, who won the SA title in the division in only his fifth bout.
“I can say Booi is the one to watch and mark my words, he will be the next SA champion,” he said.
Veshiwe also produced a composed performance when he cut Ibanathi Manana down to size to force a second-round win in their lightweight clash, while Ngaliphi received the biggest cheers when he was introduced before his dominant points win over Sivenathi Qwemeshe.
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Though Fuzile remains his biggest product, Njekanye has unearthed a slew of other stars, including Lwando Mgabi, who relocated to Cape Town, where he won the SA junior-bantamweight title, which he forfeited on the scale ahead of his second defence in August.
Njekanye’s rundown Duncan Village Boxing Academy, popularly known as the Million Dollar Club, is also home to amateur standout Amila Gongqa, who is already setting tongues wagging for holding his own in sparring sessions against seasoned professional boxers.
With a dedicated promoter in Ground Up behind him, Njekanye is promising to unleash more talent to finally get his dues in boxing training acumen.
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Ngoza remains one of only two boxers to beat Mhlanganisi Sogcwayi and will be a step up in class for the one-fight novice Gongqa.
Gongqa, whose ring moniker is derived from the acronym of his name and surname, has even attracted the attention of the office of the auditor general, which was pleasantly surprised that an athlete would use it for a moniker, and is tipped as the next big star from the Duncan Village township.
Xaba Promotions, which will stage the fight as part of its commemoration of the 1976 Generation, has a knack of fast-tracking the careers of boxers with potential.
Amila Gongqa was showered with praise after he bowed out of the IBA World Youth Championships on a razor-thin points loss to Tajikistan’s Damir Muibalikhonov in Montenegro on Monday night.
The 16-year-old Duncan Village southpaw, affectionately known as “Auditor General”, was the only boxer of the five-member SA team to advance to the last 16, after winning two bouts.
Having stopped Simanschii Nichita of Moldova in his previous fight, Gongqa, whose crippling power has made him a feared fighter, engaged in an epic battle with Muibalikhonov, with the lightweight bout swinging to and fro, leaving the outcome in the hands of the judges.
The five judges were split on the winner, with two of them voting for Gongqa and three giving the nod to Muibalikhonov.
The SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) congratulated Gongqa on his performance, saying it underlined his international credentials.
“He showed what a talented youngster he is and the future is bright for him as he continues to develop his game,” it said in a statement.
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Gongqa’s trainer, Mzamo Njekanye, who trains the boxer in his dilapidated Duncan Village Boxing Academy, popularly known as the “Million Dollar Club”, said he was satisfied with how his charge performed against Muibalikhonov.
“To me, he did all he was supposed to do to win the bout and like two of the judges [I believe] he deserved the outcome,” he said.
“I was amazed by how composed he was and his punch selection, which scored more points than his opponents.
“But as we know in open boxing, the outcome is not only determined in the ring but by other factors so to us AG is the winner.”
Gongqa, a grade 11 pupil at Ebenezer Majombozi High School in Gompo, is set to form the core of the SA team which is being started afresh after the exodus of its members to the professional ranks.
Sanabo said the youth team had been sent to Montenegro to gain experience and benefit from International Boxing Association (IBA) programmes.
“It is crucial that we expose our young boxers to such programmes at an early stage so that they develop within the international fold,” it said.
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Njekanye said Gongqa would continue to polish his boxing technique in pursuit of other international opportunities.
“I see a world champion in this boy and I am never wrong in these predictions.”
Njekanye’s other charge, Simnikiwe Bongco, won the Commonwealth Games bronze medal in Birmingham in 2022.
Azinga Fuzile, who he also trained, went on to challenge for the IBF world junior lightweight title, losing to Japanese Kenichi Ogawa at Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York in November 2021.
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XB boss Ayanda Matiti said Gongqa’s talent needed to be harnessed and developed accordingly to make him the next boxing star.
“So far he has shown all the tools to go far in the game, and we will be there to ensure he fulfils his potential,” he said.
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