THOHOYANDOU – While South Africa is patiently waiting to see the result of the WBC title fight between Philip "The Time Bomb" Ndou and American Floyd Mayweather, Ndou's mother, Ms Margret Nemukula is quite convinced that her son will make her and the nation proud by bringing the title home.

Speaking from her house in Unit D Thohoyandou, she said she was not concerned about the threats made by Mayweather, who threatened to "shut her son's big mouth."

She said she heard over the radio that "Mayweather is already talking how he will knock my son out within six rounds. It is surprising that he seems to be sure about the result of the fight. What I know is that my son will win this fight and win the hearts of the Americans fans."

"Many people say my son uses muti. There is no muti in this family. We rely on God to help us in everything we do. I have been praying for my son before his fights."

There is another side to her son's history that Margret wants the nation to know: the poor background of her son. "My son is the second-born and last of my two children. I separated from his father when he was very young. This led us to live in a shack at Maungani, east of Thohohoyandou, were we lived from handouts. There were many days when we went to sleep without food," she added.

Asked if her son ever showed any sign of boxing skill when he was young, Margret said Ndou was a well-mannered and understanding child. However, he was not the kind of boy who would run away from bullyboys who might have tried to challenge him. "He liked fighting. He even fought against his elder brother, Aifheli."

Because of difficulties, Ndou was left in the hands one relative after another when his mother left for Gauteng, while he was still very young. This made life tougher for Ndou.

Fortunately, he was already pursuing a boxing career with Makwarela Boxing Club. Although some of the close relatives he was supposed to get shelter from, told him "you will never make it in boxing", Ndou, who idolised his role model, Mohammed Ali, never gave up.

This is where the generosity of boxing promoter, Mukandangalo Madzivhandila, regarded as the father of boxing in Limpopo, was seen. Through his businesses, Madzivhandila financed Ndou's boxing needs. He also bought him clothes and foods, as he did for others like Lovemore Ndou and Cassius Baloyi.