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Written by www.supersport.co.za
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Saturday, 12 April 2008 |
 Cassius Baloyi won his sixth world championship when he beat Mzonke Fana on points to take over the IBF junior lightweight title at Mafikeng on Saturday night.
The challenger regained the belt in a classic scrap at the University Sports Complex when he won 117-111 and 116-112 on two of the cards, with the third judge making it a 114-114 draw.
Fana seemed to be turning the tables from the sixth round but he split one of his gloves in the eighth round just as Baloyi seemed to start fading.
The gloves change certainly gave Baloyi a much needed breather and Fana had to start all over again when the action resumed.
To make matters worse, the tape on one of Fana's gloves came loose in the eleventh round, giving Baloyi a few more precious seconds to steady himself.
Baloyi used his considerable reach advantage from the first round, landing telling jabs as the champion tried to get close enough to score.
At the end of the fourth round Fana was not on the scoreboard yet, but there were signs that Baloyi might be tiring. Fana stepped up the pace, got in close enough to land scoring punches and raised the hopes of his supporters.
However, the glove problems broke his momentum and Baloyi used all his skills and experience to stay well ahead.
 Baloyi, 33, had won IBO, WBU, WBC and IBF titles in a professional career stretching back to 1994, including 22 world title fights, before regaining the belt he used to wear.
The 34-year-old Fana won the IBF title almost a year ago when be beat Malcolm Klassen in Cape Town. In August he stopped Javier Osvaldo Alvarez from Argentina to retain the belt.
The judges were Alex Levin from the US, who handed in the 117-111 score, Mickey Vann from England and Ingo Barrabas from Germany, who called it a draw.
The referee was Luis Papon from Puerto Rico.
Fana weighed 58.34 kg and Baloyi came in at 58.44.
Photo © Gallo Images
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 April 2008 )
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