10 Aug 2025

Oh, what a night! Gaborone witnessed an electrifying display of skill and stamina as pugilists exchanged blows in the thrilling fourth edition of the Fight Night Championship on Saturday, keeping the fully packed crowd on the edge of their seats.

With high hopes raised, spectators expected a gripping encounter in the international middleweight contest between Botswana’s Lentswe Zwinila and South African Cyril Mulweli. However, their hopes were dashed as Zwinila ended the fight prematurely, cutting short the rounds from six to two.

As the bell rang to start the first round, Zwinila (33) showed no intimidation by the height of his 28-year-old opponent. The duo exchanged blows in a round that began at a moderate pace, with both boxers employing professional tactics to score points.

Just moments into the second round, Zwinila of Bond Boxing sent his opponent from Elim Boxing, Mulweli, to his knees, as if pleading for mercy. Shaking his head sideways, Mulweli signalled to the referee that he could not continue. Zwinila was declared the winner by technical knockout, while Mulweli remained in his corner receiving assistance, appearing to have sustained a blow that injured his right arm.

Prior to this bout, in an international featherweight contest, Kagoetsile Raokgwathile of Bond Boxing faced Zambia’s Fight Factory’s Bernard Mwango.

At 26, four years younger than his opponent, Raokgwathile, popularly known in boxing circles as Sparta, kept the crowd on their feet with cheers. Like Zwinila, he also won by technical knockout, but Sparta dragged his opponent into the fifth round, demonstrating that his punches, jabs, and blows were too fierce to handle.

Both boxers displayed their skills and tactics in the first two rounds as they competed for supremacy. In the third round, Sparta, who seemed to benefit from his height, kept landing powerful blows. The fourth round saw him continue his attacking, with Mwango receiving heavy hits while leaning on the ropes.

Hosted by Bond Ngubane of Bond Boxing Club, this Fight Night marked the first time in its four-year history that a women’s bout was introduced. Katlego Olatotse of Bond Boxing defeated Joyce Moilwa of SSKB by split decision, with judges scoring the bout 39-37, 40-36, and 36-40 in the national super middleweight contest. The opening fight of the night featured the pro debuts of Shathiso Makhani and Solomon Lere in the national welterweight category, with Lere taking the first bout of the evening.

Looking back to 2019, who could forget the emotional live fight broadcast on national TV that May, when Tshepang Babui, aka Gearbox, was defeated while defending his World Boxing Federation Africa junior featherweight title against South African Tholumusa Ngema.

Returning to the ring on Saturday, Babui lost a thrilling national featherweight contest to Tshepang Gomotho, alias Rambo. Rambo dominated the fight, keeping the crowd on their feet and urging Gearbox to block the punches. The most electrifying bout in the featherweight category saw George Molwanta edge out Onkarabile Molwanta in a pulsating showdown. ENDS