SA bantamweight contender Lusizo Manzana is determined to banish his inactivity when he returns to the ring again in the space of weeks when he takes on Michael Daries at the OR Tambo Hall in Mthatha next Saturday. The bout, which will form part of the KM Sport tournament funded by the sport, recreation, arts and culture department, will mark the second quickest ring return for the Mthatha boxer in a long time. The last time he fought within weeks of his last bout was when he beat Lithemba Goje in October 2019 before returning in November to beat Bongani Silila.
Manzana, who endured a year of inactivity, having last fought in December 2024, returned to action in December 2025 by beating Aphiwe Rasmeni at Hemingways Mall to kickstart his career. The bout helped him retain his third rating and boosted his SA title shot aspirations in anticipation of champion Landile Ngxeke relinquishing the belt. Rather than wait for the title shot, his camp decided to bring him back to enhance his sharpness after observing rustiness against Rasmeni.
His trainer, Thembani Gopheni, said he was not happy that Manzana only fought twice in two years, which showed against Rasmeni. “The plan is to sharpen his craft and technique, and possibly by June the SA title situation would be cleared, and he could be ready,” he said. Manzana has gone through a series of challenges in the ring and out of it, with the injury-forced stoppage loss to Ngxeke for the SA title his worst.
Read Full Article on Daily Dispatch
[paywall]
The southpaw was holding his own against Ngxeke before dislocating his shoulder while throwing a punch in the fourth round in December 2023. Grimacing in pain with his shoulder a grotesque lump, Manzana was forced to quit to hand Ngxeke the title via a stoppage win. The injury was a repeat of what had flared up in his bout against Mawande Mbusi four months earlier.
[/paywall]
