A boxing match that took place in Durban, South Africa this Sunday saw a bizarre and chilling moment when one of the contestants visibly lost control during the fight and almost went after the referee, before throwing pounches in the air.
South African boxer Buthelezi lost consciousness during fight with Mntungwa
It all happened when lightweight boxers Simiso Buthelezi (4-1) and Siphesihle Mntungwa (7-1-2) locked horns for the new World Boxing Federation of Africa (WBF) lightweight championship at the Greyville Convention Centre in Durban on Sunday night.
The 10-round bout fight had gone on for nine rounds but in the final round, after sending Mntungwa into the ropes, Buthelezi apparently lost his consciousness in the ring and walked toward the referee.
The official was able to get out of his way, only to see that Buthelezi was walking towards one corner and started throwing punches before the referee stopped the fight and embraced the boxer. Matunga, standing visibly confused at the situation, was declared victorious, becoming the new WBF lightweight champion, however, the awarding ceremony was postponed.
Boxing enthusiast Tim Boxeo had detailed the incident on Twitter, along with a short clip of the Buthelezi incident. “Very scary in South Africa please for Simiso Buthelezi (4-1). At 2:43 of the 10th & final round, Siphesihle Mntungwa (7-1-2) falls through the ropes but then Buthelezi appears to lose his understanding of the present situation. Mntungwa takes the WBF African lightweight title” he captioned the clip.
Very scary in South Africa please 🙏🏼 for Simiso Buthelezi (4-1). At 2:43 of the 10th & final round, Siphesihle Mntungwa (7-1-2) falls through the ropes but then Buthelezi appears to lose his understanding of the present situation. Mntungwa takes the WBF African lightweight title pic.twitter.com/YhfCI623LB
— Tim Boxeo (@TimBoxeo) June 5, 2022
Tim also added that Buthelezi was on the track to win the fight before the unexpected happened and suffered his maiden defeat in the squared circle. He also revealed that the boxer was put into immediate medical care moments after the fight and is currently in stable condition, even though what caused his chilling and strange behavior during the fight is yet to be known.
Many netizens expressed their views on what could have caused the strange behaviour from Buthelezi, with many pointing at heat exhaustion from 20 minutes of fighting, even though others raised eyebrows over that claim as its currently winter in South Africa.
