Perfect opportunity for young Combrink
Tonight's "Thunderstruck" box and dine at Emperors Palace represents a golden opportunity for Dowayne Combrink to impress his new handlers when he meets Simon Mokoena in a rematch of their meeting late last year.
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Having switched allegiances to trainer Harold Volbrecht, the 23-year-old will need to be a lot better than he was when the wily and experienced Mokoena took him through all six rounds of their first encounter.
At 43 years of age and on a losing streak of 11 fights, Mokoena is not seen as a major threat to 23-year-old Combrink’s 9-1 career record, but a stoppage by the youngster will go a long way in re-affirming the belief that he is capable of bigger things in the middleweight division, while a loss would be disastrous.
On a night featuring bundles of young talent, an interesting encounter awaits when welterweights Stone van Aswegen and Willis Baloyi clash with both looking to get back to winning ways after incurring their first career losses in their most recent outings.
Van Aswegen has a career record of 4-1-1 with three short-route wins, while Baloyi has featured in four fights as a professional for statistics of 2-1-1.
Promising bantamweight Ronald Malindi will look to impress in his second career outing when he meets Meshack Mathebula in a four rounder, while Quade Allen and Siphiwe Ngubane clash in a catchweight encounter set at a limit of 69kg.
There will be plenty of interest when Martin Makabu, the younger brother of heavy-hitting cruiserweight Junior, steps into the ring for his debut when he meets Cecil Smith in a showdown of the heavyweights.
Zane Mundell, meanwhile, makes a return having last fought in 2011, when he meets William Bankisi in a junior-middleweight encounter.
Another fighter, Josh Roos, will make his professional debut when he meets Philip Dlamini in a middleweight contest.
