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Tulani Mbenge and trainer Sean Smith at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday. Picture: DAVID ISAACSON
Tulani Mbenge and trainer Sean Smith at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday. Picture: DAVID ISAACSON

Tulani Mbenge says winning the IBO welterweight title for the second time in Britain at the weekend felt sweeter than the first occasion he lifted the strap six years ago.

He outpointed English southpaw Michael McKinson for the vacant belt at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday night to end a hiatus of more than five years as a world champion. 

“This time feels better,” said Mbenge. “This time it was a bigger crowd, a bigger atmosphere and my win has lifted me to seventh in the world [on BoxRec].”

When he won the belt the first time, in Johannesburg in mid-2018, Mbenge rose to 12th.

He lost the belt to Sebastian Formella in Germany in mid-2019 and since then struggled to get action. He lost a majority decision in France in late 2022 and didn’t get a fight in 2023.

In March 2024, trainer-manager Sean Smith dipped into his own pocket to secure action for his boxer, pitting him against a tough Argentinian in Durban.

“I’ve been told ‘no’ 1,000 times,” said Smith. “It shows that if you believe things can go your way, they will. I believed and the hard thing was to make him [Mbenge] believe.”

Smith was confident the win, beamed on Sky, would guarantee them action sooner rather than later, with one of the tournament organisers telling him “the winner will probably get a big opportunity in the near future”.

“Tulani needed a good win on the road,” said Smith. “I think Tulani won a lot of fans out there. Even Johnny Nelson [former WBO cruiserweight champion] said to me ‘your boy can fight’.”

Mbenge was rocked by a big left hook late in the first round, but he dominated the scorecards in the end, winning by margins of four points on two scorecards and six on the third.

“My plan was to intimidate this guy,” said Mbenge, a bronze medallist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

In his first reign he made only one successful defence of the marginal IBO title. At 33, Mbenge needs to start cashing in on his success. 

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