Paul ‘Cruel Vulture’ Masindi (31), a well-known boxer from the Nzhelele valley, will participate in a professional boxing tournament in Gauteng tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.

He will fight against Ronald Malindi in the bantamweight division in a tournament that will take place in the Orlando community hall. The tournament is hosted by Golden Gloves Promotions and it is expected that Supersport 7 will broadcast the event from 14:00.

Masindi, who aims to become the IBF champion in future, believes that he will still get the opportunity to reach his goal. He started his boxing career in 1999 and became professional in 2012.

He said during those days that turning professional was extremely difficult, considering the testing procedure. “No matter how brilliant you may be, back then if you could not do the skipping rope for 30 minutes, you would not be promoted,” he said.

Despite his initial lurching career, Masindi never gave up. He trained very hard to turn professional. In 2002, when his boxing career was struggling to take off, he enrolled at Univen for a BCom degree.

Apart from his degree at Univen, he also acquired his BTech in labour relations from Unisa. Although he received academic qualifications, Masindi said that boxing runs in his veins. "I believe that this is my year and I will achieve so many accolades,” he said.

Tomorrow will be his third professional fight. Currently, he trains at the Gym4U boxing academy in Thohoyandou. He recently won a fight in Cape Town, when he knocked out his opponent in the first round.

Financial difficulties are a dire challenge in his career. He is often confronted by transport problems. “Most of us (boxers) face transport problems during tournaments that are far from the province,” he said.  

He was pleading with any person who was willing to provide sponsorship to phone him on 072 265 7536 or 074 604 0497. Mr Kevin Marubini has promised to sponsor him when he returns from Gauteng province.