Azinga Fuzile defeated Martin Ward in an International Boxing Federation junior lightweight
eliminator on the undercard of the Devin Haney-Jorge Linares event from the Michelob Ultra
Arena at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas Nevada on May 29, 2021.
Fuzile, (15-1, 9KO) who hails from South Africa and was fighting for the first time in the United
States, started slow yet found his timing midway through the fight.
After a solid first few rounds from Ward, a straight left hand from Fuzile began to find its mark,
which led to a knockdown for Azinga in the fourth round of a scheduled twelve.
The United Kingdom’s Ward, (24-2-2, 11KO) also fighting for the first time in the US, recovered
well from the canvas trip and at times had his own success, backing Fuzile to the ropes with
combination punches.
Fighting from a southpaw stance, South Africa’s ‘Golden Boy’ took charge towards the late
rounds and again dropped Ward in round seven. Ward beat the count yet Team Ward then
decided to stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 2:47 of the seventh round.
With the win, Azinga is now in line for a shot at the IBF junior lightweight title.
By Raymundo Dioses