| Mashaba Takes First Step To Fulfilling Lifelong Dream |
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| Written by Michael Swann - 15rounds.com | |
| Thursday, 06 March 2008 | |
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30 year old “Merciless” Thomas Mashaba from Carletonville, South Africa, 20-1-4 (12), is finally making his U.S. debut this Friday night against veteran Cristobal Cruz, 35-11-1 (23), at the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The fight will be telecast as the main event on the ESPN 2 “Friday Night Fights” series.
Mashaba is the IBO featherweight titlist, winner of 10 straight over good competition in five years, including five successful title defenses. In May 2004 Thomas won the IBO super bantamweight crown, and the following year he stepped up to 126 pounds and won a decision over Vuyani Bungu in what he called “my toughest fight” to win the IBO featherweight belt. He’s ranked #9 by Ring Magazine, #4 by the IBF, and #6 by the WBA, and he’s coming off his biggest win in his last bout against former IBF featherweight titlist Erik Aiken. In that fight Mashaba was floored in the sixth but came back fighting, knocking Aiken cold in the ninth. The fight was acclaimed as South Africa’s “2007 Fight of the Year.” There’s a lot of buzz about Mashaba, particularly for a fighter who has fought only once outside of his native South Africa, and never previously in America. However, the real story here is that Mashaba’s journey here this week is the first step to realizing his lifelong dream to fight in Las Vegas. Since he was just a little boy Thomas Mashaba viewed the high profile fights of the greats of his youth on television and dreamed of the day that he would be on the big stage in Las Vegas. That dream seemed insurmountable in the face of circumstances and responsibility. Carletonville is one of the richest gold producing areas in the world and also one of the deepest. As soon as he was old enough, Mashaba went to work with his father--working underground in the gold mine. Thomas still works there and will return there as soon as he finishes business at Foxwoods. Normal life in South Africa would be like doing hard time for an American. Sometimes we take so much for granted. In 2006, only 123 votes were cast in the nearby Khutsong Municipal Government elections, and in 2007 riots took place in the streets of Khutsong during Freedom Day. The entire area has been the scene of widespread unrest for over two years. The work in the mines is brutal, and there is always the potential for the obvious occupational hazard, such as when 3200 men were involved in a mine collapse in Carletonville just last October. “It’s very dangerous; you work for food,” Thomas told us this week. “You put up with the danger for the pay. It’s the same as boxing. If you can do one, you can do both.” Mashaba takes his responsibilities seriously and does his best to provide for his girlfriend and three year old son Tshuvelo. But even with two jobs, it’s a daily struggle to put food on the table. One reason might be because of the way the athletes are treated in the South African fight world. Mashaba was asked if the American purses were more than in his native country. “I want to say yes, but it’s not that much,” he replied. However, Bongani Magasela, a reporter from the Johannesburg Sowetan, who has covered most of Thomas’s fights, provided additional information. He told us that boxers in South Africa “ruin their lives” for little pay, although he stressed that he had no knowledge of Mashaba’s remuneration. “Boxers are being exploited,” he said. “(Mashaba’s) father was worried because they have so many boxers die inside the ring, but he is very proud of him.” “I became a boxer so I could fight in Las Vegas,” Thomas continued. “That’s been my dream all my life and I’ve been thinking of that even when I’m not boxing. I’ve only seen (Las Vegas) on TV. “I saw Tyson in the early days. Tito (Trinidad), I like to watch him; he’s a warrior. I like Manny Pacquiao but I would take him. “I don’t care who I fight. My goal is a big fight at the MGM Grand in Vegas.” Mashaba always specifies the Grand as his venue of choice, as he recalls the picture of the Las Vegas skyline on his TV set. (You would think that with his gold mining experience, he might have an edge at the Golden Nugget.) The reporter Magasela says that, “He doesn’t care who he fights. Even a four round fight would be okay as long as it was at the MGM Grand. “Thomas is excited. That’s an understatement. When I spoke to him he said, ‘I don’t believe I’m in America.’ I honestly think that this will stay with him for as long as he lives. “He’s going to be on ESPN out of his home country. He’s from humble beginnings. To millions of downtrodden Africans Thomas is… I don’t even have the proper description of what he means to them because he is hope to those who are at the lowest. He’s a big time hero in his homeland. “Thomas is a warrior. He does the unexpected in the ring. He throws the book out the window when the going gets tough. He comes to fight.” Mashaba’s main ally in the ring is his trainer/manager Eugene Khanyile. “He’s an all action fighter,” Khanyile said of Mashaba’s style. “He’s an aggressor, comes forward, and he’s not boring.” The trainer said that Mashaba’s training is going very well in Summerville, just outside of Boston. He would like to see a matchup with Robert Guerrero, the IBF belt holder who stopped Jason Litzau last week. Mashaba said he saw Guerrero on TV and added, “I can take him at anytime. I will prove myself and show I’m one of the best. When the chance comes we’ll take it. I’m not the kind of guy who’s scared. “This is all about money. I don’t make money now, but when I come back I think I’ll make money. I fight hard every round, three minutes a round.” As a fan you just can’t help but root for a guy like Thomas Mashaba. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 March 2008 ) |
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