Tandia (78 page)

In the meantime Mr Nguni appeared to eschew politics. The ever-smiling black promoter appeared essentially as a sporting man who, through the. promotion of boxing and soccer, was beginning to be favourably noticed by the Pretoria government. In fact, a dossier already existed on him in Pretoria.

Zulu Nguni
-
Mathew. Born: Masinga, Zululand, 1920. Tribal Chief (Minor) Pass No:
ZU
0073152 T/N. Occupation: Sports Promoter
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Boxing, Soccer. Also manager, Zulu Mandoma
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Gideon, South African Welterweight Champion, British Empire Champion (ANC Youth League.
*)
Social history: No personal political history. Good race relations, White/Black. Youth development programme. Property: Independent means. Property,
3
houses, Morokn, Meadowlands, Masinga (Z'land). Cattle owner. State Police Clearance.

Category AAA.

*See Zulu Mandoma G.-ANC Transvaal. Ref. Youth League
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Political File.

Included with these cryptic notes were several transcripts from speeches, mostly of a sporting nature. The most notable was a transcript taken from a remark in parliament by the Minister for Sport:

That Nguni, he's a proper sportsman. I'm telling you, he's a good black man, the sort of native you can talk to if you want something done in the townships. Not a political type, but he's a natural leader, a chief in his own right. If we had more like him things would go better with the native people all round.

Among the black people, even most of the township people, Peekay's first title defence became a deadly trail to see whether Mandoma would beat Peekay and so lay claim to being the
Onoshobishobi Ingelosi,
the Tadpole Angel. For them the fight had a mystical importance well beyond boxing and it became the major topic of conversation in the weeks and the months leading up to the fight. The trial against Geldenhuis and the police colonel Klaasens had convinced many of the blacks that Peekay was their leader. No person had ever taken a Special Branch policeman to court on behalf of a black man, not even an important black man. The very fact that Tom Majombi had been a nobody was proof that the
Onoshobishobi Ingelosi
was there to protect and to fight for them. A great many of the fans came to the fight wanting Peekay to win.

When Peekay entered the ring, the Chant to the Tadpole Angel thundered around the old Jabulani stadium where the fight was held; and now even a great many of the white supporters joined in. They had learned the lyrics on Springbok radio where, after Peekay had won the world championship, it had risen to number one on the hit parade. It was a magical moment which brought Peekay close to tears. He stood together with Mandoma in the centre of the ring as the Chant came to an end and Gideon suddenly moved and lifted Peekay's hand and held it aloft.

This was a different kind of fight. Even those who had come to see the white man smash the kaffir or the other way around, now realized that what they were going to see were two boxers with enormous pride who wouldn't give an inch, a white man and a black one who respected each other, who openly referred to each other as brothers, so that in some parts of the Afrikaner press both were actively despised.

Both had motive enough to win. Peekay wanted to retire the undefeated champion of the world and Gideon Mandoma, the herd boy from the hills and mountain peaks of Zululand, who had used his fists to get to the pinnacle, wanted to fight a man who, after beating Jackson, had been described by
Ring
magazine as the greatest boxer pound-for-pound in the world. If Gideon became the world champion he would be the first black boxer out of Africa ever to have done so.

The referee, a New Yorker who had officiated at two Joe Louis title fights, called the two boxers together and went through the usual ho-hum. The bell went and Peekay and Mandoma forgot that they'd ever been friends as they moved towards each other.

Mandoma was a natural fighter who came forward all the time. It had served him well against Geldenhuis, because he too fought off the front foot, but against Peekay it wasn't such a good idea. A straight-line fighter is easier to hit, he doesn't bob and weave and move about. Peekay's speed was such that he could nail Gideon more often. In, the first round Peekay moved off the back foot as usual but he was making Gideon miss and nailing him in reply, though because he was moving back his punches lacked real steam. However, in terms of points he won the round quite easily.

In the second round Mandoma's timing was still out. He was trying too hard, trying for a big punch, and Peekay was too elusive and too fast. Peekay was beginning to put his punches together, working the familiar pattern to Mandoma's body. Mandoma hit Peekay several times with a good straight left and a right upper-cut coming off the ropes, the best punch of the fight so far. Peekay grinned, a sure sign that he'd been hurt. Mandoma came after him and received a beautiful straight left on the nose, making it bleed. The second round, despite the harder punching by Gideon, was also clearly Peekay's.

The third and the fourth round were the same. Gideon seemed to be no match for the hugely skilled world champion. Peekay was boxing beautifully, his feet a miracle of economy, lovely to watch. Mandoma, who was also a very fast boxer, was being made to look slow. The fight was going perfectly to plan and Hymie and Solly were delighted. When Gideon came in after the fifth, a round which Dutch thought he'd probably shared with Peekay, the English trainer spoke to him. 'You're doing all right, son, but Peekay can dance all night. You've got to slow him down, get him on the ropes, clinch him, hold him as long as you can and, when you come off the rope, try to hit him first. He nails you going away. Go for him fast, a left-right as you come off the ropes. You have the shoulders, push him away; don't let him get away, you make the break for him then hit him on the break.'

In the sixth round the tactic worked well. Gideon would tie Peekay up as often as he could and move him onto the ropes. Twice he hit him with a glorious left-right combination as he pushed him away; once he thought he had Peekay going, but the bell saved the white fighter. The sixth round was Gideon's.

The tactic was working well for Gideon although he had to take a few torrid punches to get close enough to Peekay to tie him up. But once he had him on the ropes he was the stronger of the two fighters and he was doing a lot of damage close up, his short inside punches carrying more power than Peekay's. The seventh round was Gideon's too, and the crowd began to sense that the fight had evened up.

But the tactic couldn't last too long with a fighter as intelligent as Peekay and by the eighth round Peekay was starting to move forward, hitting Mandoma fast and clearing out, avoiding the clinch. Late in the round Mandoma walked into a left-right combination that put him on the canvas. Peekay would have stayed for the eight count, but Gideon was on his feet immediately, too proud to take the rest. It was a mistake. Almost immediately Peekay hit him with a long raking right, pushing him against the ropes; he wasn't quite quick enough from the recent knock-down to recover and Peekay planted three beautiful punches under his heart. Gideon went down again, this time taking the full eight count before he stood up. The bell went as the two boxers moved towards each other.

The ninth round showed the superb boxer Mandoma was. He came out on the attack and hit Peekay with a beautiful right cross, slamming into the side of the jaw. Peekay crashed to the canvas. At four Peekay hadn't moved and by seven he had only just managed to get to his knees. Peekay could only barely hear the referee counting and he felt himself slipping down the silver tunnel. At nine he was on his legs but plainly shaky. The ref examined him and allowed the fight to continue. Mandoma came in fast for the kill and Peekay managed to tie him up. But not for long; as the ref called for them to break, Mandoma pushed him away and hit him to the head with a good left-right combination. Peekay went down again. He was up at nine, but he knew he couldn't take very much more.
Dance klein baas, dance; when you dance they don't think you hurt.
It was Geel Piet's voice coming to him as a child.

Peekay didn't know where it came from. His legs felt like lead but he was on his toes, allowing his legs to do the thinking, years of training making them work instinctively. Gideon was trying too hard, trying to finish the fight. With twenty seconds to go he drew back on his right a little too far to follow a good left jab and Peekay, seeing the opening, hit him with a perfect right hand, smashing into his chin. Mandoma hit the floor so hard he actually bounced. He was up at nine and hung on grimly for the remaining few seconds before the bell went. Both fighters were exhausted. They'd fought each other to a standstill. Both sat in their corners knowing that they'd spent it all, that there were no more tricks. From now it was heart; there was nothing else to give.

Some people claimed that both fights against Jack 'Spoonbill' Jackson were Peekay's greatest, but there were others who were adamant that the last five rounds of the Mandoma versus Peekay title was the all-time great,.

It proved to be one of the toughest fights ever witnessed in South Africa. Both men were exhausted, but they came out for the tenth. They started to fight toe to toe, too tired to move about the ring. Both went down during the round and got up and fought again. The fight had evened up, with perhaps Peekay just ahead on points.

There were those in the audience who'd seen Peekay's comeback against Jackson and who said to themselves that Mandoma couldn't withstand the courage of the white boxer, that he'd go before Peekay. But they reached round fourteen and Mandoma had been down seven times and Peekay six. They were still standing in the centre of the ring trading punches.

The crowd was hysterical. Something had to give. Each time one of the boxers went down there was a huge sigh, as though the crowd was sure it was the end; then there was a roar as the fighter got to his feet. Peekay had broken Mandoma's nose and closed one of his eyes, though Dutch had kept it working well enough for him to keep fifty per cent of his sight. Solly was not as skilled, and Peekay's right eye was completely closed.

Early in round fourteen Peekay put Mandoma down again with a left and felt a sharp pain in his hand. Mandoma got to his feet and Peekay tried to put another good one home but his left hand was hurting like hell every time he used it. Mandoma was gone, he was simply hanging on. Peekay was forced-to lead with the right and Mandoma managed to survive, to keep his opponent's gloves away from his heart, for he knew that one more good punch under the heart and he was history. Peekay as usual had judged the fight to perfection; he was going to take him out in the final round. Towards the end of the fourteenth, Peekay landed another hard left and gasped as the pain shot up through his arm into his shoulder. His arm fell to his side and Mandoma hit him with a right just as the bell went.

Peekay was too exhausted to speak as Solly and Hymie worked on him. 'You just have to get through the round, you're ahead on points, just keep him off this last round, Peekay,' Hymie said, working on his shoulders.

'That's the ticket, my son, you don't have to put him down, just stay away,' Solly echoed.

'It's Jackson all over again,' Peekay gasped at last. 'I've broken my hand again.'

'Oh, Jesus, no!' Hymie gasped. 'Are you sure?'

'You've got the skill, just run, run from him,' Solly cried.

'I haven't got the legs, Solly.'

Peekay came out as a southpaw. It wasn't a surprise to Mandoma, they'd worked it too often sparring, but- Gideon wondered why. He was so exhausted that it was all he could do to try to find the punch he'd need to take Peekay out. Time was running out. Halfway through the final round, Peekay put Mandoma down again with a good right hand, but there wasn't enough power in it to keep him on the floor. The Zulu had Peekay in the corner leaning on him when he heard Dutch shout, 'His hand, his left hand is broke!' Gideon came out of the clinch, moving back to the centre of the ring. Peekay's hand was broken; he couldn't hit him with a left. Peekay's left was the only hand that could put him down; he was safe. All he had to do was find the last punch. Peekay moved up to him and Gideon went onto the back foot, allowing Peekay to push him onto the ropes.

With thirty seconds to go in the fight, PeekaY had Gideon on the ropes. He just had to hang on. The referee called for them to break and Peekay hung on. 'Break!' he heard the referee shout. He hung on a little longer. 'Break!' the command came again. The seconds were ticking by. Peekay stepped back but managed to drive a right under the black man's heart, then moved away. The black man's right upper-cut came from nowhere. Peekay didn't even see it coming. It connected flush to the champion's jaw and Peekay dropped like a stone to the canvas.

Gideon Mandoma moved two tottering steps to a neutral corner, barely able to stand. The final right hand from Peekay to the heart was catching up with him and he was blacking out in flashes. He held desperately onto the ropes, supporting himself, trying to stop his knees from collapsing under him. At the count of ten and as the crowd went wild Gideon tried to raise his glove, but releasing the rope was all it needed and his knees collapsed from under him. He pitched forward, face first onto the canvas. Both men lay unconscious but it was Gideon Mandoma who was the new Welterweight Champion of the World.

Still today there are white people and black who were present at the fight who argue that Peekay threw the fight, that he wanted Gideon Mandoma to be the next Welterweight Champion of the World. But it wasn't true. The young Zulu chief had just one more punch left in him and Peekay simply hadn't seen it coming.