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REPORT

No doubt as Thomas stops Leon
SuperSport Zone Posted on Friday, December 15, 2006 - 23:07 [1](LINK Disabled)

Thomas Mashaba retained his IBO featherweight title for the third time when he
knocked out Oscar Leon in Kimberley on Friday night. 
A devastating right uppercut put the Colombian down in the third round and set
Mashaba up for a  possible fight for the WBA title held by Indonesia’s Chris John. 
Masahaba (56.42 kg) had to weather an impressive onslaught by Leon (57.04 kg)
after a controversial knockdown at the end of the second round. 
Leon briefly went down even though it did not seem as if he had been hit. The
referee completed the count after the bell had gone despite the challenger's protests. 
Leon came out smoking in the third, driving the South African back with a two-
fisted attack. 
However, he slowed down halfway through the round, having spent a lot of energy
to prove his frustration about the knockdown. 
Mashaba had looked stronger and more composed than Leon in the first round but
the bout seemed to be developing into a good contest before everything turned
upside down. 
The fight was over after 1 minute 33 seconds of the third round when referee
Andile Matika completed the count of ten over the Colombian. 
Mashaba’s record improved to 19-1-4 with 12 stoppages. Leon dropped to 27-6,
with 18 short-cut wins. 
The fight in the Jim Summers Hall was preceded by much uncertainty about
Leon’s weight. 
He had to lose 4.76 kg after the pre-fight weigh-in on Tuesday but whether it made
any difference was hard to tell. He showed hardly any resistance against the power
punches of Mashaba. 
Mashaba showed a good left and the ability to take solid body shots before he
finished off the challenger. 
Promoter Thinus Strydom of World Sports Promotion should be able to match the
classy Carletonville fighter against some top-class international opponents next
year.
John has a mandatory defence against Jose Rojas on February 24. "If Mashaba
and John both win, they will face each other in June," Strydom said last week. 
On the same bill, Simpiwe Nongqayi (51.78 kg) stopped Khulile Makeba at 1:13 of
the eighth round to win the low-rent World Boxing Foundation junior
bantamweight title, which had been vacant. 
The ring-worn Makeba (52 kg) had been down twice when the 29-year-old former
amateur star, who represented South Africa at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in
Kuala Lumpur, sent him back into the ropes once more and referee Eddie Marshall
stepped in. 
Nongqayi takes his record to 12-0 (6) and Makeba drops to 22-6-1 (12).