Mbulelo Botile has everything to fight for

As attention is focused on Dingaan Thobela's World Boxing Council super-middleweight title defence in Canada on Friday, a fighter once hailed as a brilliant craftsman will try to revive his glory days on Saturday night.

Former International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Mbulelo Botile will attempt to take the IBF featherweight crown from Paul Ingle in London.

Except for his 10-round non-title victory over former IBF featherweight champion Hector Lizarraga in November last year, Botile has drawn virtually no public attention inside the ring.

Instead, he was enveloped in controversy outside it.

He left his long-time trainer Mzi Mnguni and promoter Golden Gloves/Fists and attempted to forge ties with American promoter Don King after GGP/F had clinched the bout against Ingle.

Now back with GGP/F, who whisked him to America to be trained by Terry Scott, Botile has everything to fight for in what could be his last and best chance of glory.

His eighth round technical knockout loss of the bantam title to Tim Austin in July 1997 may have looked a cowardly job at the time. But, like Phillip Holiday's loss of his IBF lightweight crown to Shane Mosley, just over a month after Botile lost his, the East London fighter has been exonerated by the fact that Austin still holds that belt.

Rodney Berman, boss of GGP/F, readily concedes this is not an easy one for Botile but he does not rule out his chances.

"We were not too sure how Botile would perform as a featherweight," said Berman on Monday. "But that pulsating points victory over Lizarraga could have been a turning point in his career. By beating Lizarraga, Mbulelo dispelled any doubts we may have had at the time. I think he can and will beat Ingle. But I must admit winning won't come easy."

Although the favourite, the Ingle camp cannot be over-confident even though the one-time European and British and Commonwealth champion will be fighting on home soil.