GQEBERHA – The first open-air boxing event in 50 years in Gqeberha will be held on Saturday, 30 May in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium when Nozipho Bell from the Walmer location will take on experienced Namibian-born Zimbabwean Chiedza Homakoma for the WBF Intercontinental Light Welterweight title.

The last time an open-air event was held was in 1976, staged by the late Maurice Toweel on the Crusader ground. This time, Zantsi Promotions will bring the action.

Bell is a South African professional boxer currently rated as a top contender in the super featherweight division.

She is a former World Boxing Federation (WBF) World Featherweight Champion and reigning South African Junior Lightweight Champion, and recently re-entered the International Boxing Federation (IBF) ratings.

Bell won 15 of her 21 professional bouts, but lost her last two fights in Russia and Pretoria.

The 36-year-old has been a top contender for most of her career, and besides winning the WBF world title in 2019, she has also challenged for WBO and IBO world titles abroad.

Also a former South African national champion and IBF Intercontinental titlist at Super Featherweight, she has now decided to move to Light Welter in pursuit of eventually becoming a world champion again.

But victory won’t come easy.

Her opponent, “The Queen Tiger” Homakoma (32), always comes to fight, and after facing some of the best boxers Africa has to offer, she is motivated to upset the favourite.

Beating a former world champion and established name such as Bell would be a major breakthrough for her career.

For Bell, she has everything to fight for and can’t afford to lose if she is to regain former glory.

The show starts at 18:00 and entry is R100 for adults and R50 for children and students.

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