According to new developments, the Ema Kozin vs. Noni Tenge match, which was set to happen on July 30 in Malta, has been canceled. The match was called off after the Maltese Government announced a new regulation according to which people coming from South Africa would not be allowed to enter the country until the COVID-19 pandemic situation becomes considerably less intense and things restore to normal.
As per the original schedule, Ema Kozin, the Slovenian superstar, was set to meet Noni Tenge, the WBA interim welterweight champion, in the biggest boxing event to be held in Malta in July 30. Ema Kozin, also known as ‘The Princess’, is currently the WBC interim middleweight title holder.
Date: July 31 (Friday)
Location: Spain
Ema Kozin vs. Lolita Muzeya: WBC Middleweight title, 10 rounds
Suggested Read: Muhammad Ali: The legacy & Life of Legendary Boxer
Lolita Muzeya Replaces Noni Tenge
Soon after the Maltese Government passed the regulation, a new update surfaced. According to the latest update, Ema Kozin will share the ring with Zambian boxer Lolita Muzeya on July 31, 2021, in Spain. She will be defending her title in the 160-pound division against Muzeya.
Howard Goldberg, a former fight referee, and judge announced the cancellation of the Ema Kozin vs. Noni Tenge match. In his statement, he said, “COVID-19 has unfortunately caused a cancellation of Noni’s and Nkosi’s fights as the latest rules and regulations for entry into Malta to prohibit anyone from South Africa from entering Malta. Everything was signed and sealed. We had a request from the Maltese government that everyone gets vaccinated, and we organized that. Then they changed their regulation, saying that no one from South Africa is allowed to enter Malta. It was a massive fight with the winner scheduled to fight Shields at the end of the year,” Goldberg said.
According to the sources, Claressa Shields, the American undefeated female world champion, was to fight with the winner of the Ema Kozin vs. Noni Tenge. The American boxer Claressa Shields is the holder of the World Boxing Organisation (WBO), WBC, World Boxing Association (WBA) Super, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-middleweight belts.
Suggested Read: 7 Legendary Fighters & their Boxing Techniques
Name: Ema Kozin
Nickname: The Princess
Height: 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (174 cm)
Nationality: Slovenia
Date of Birth: December 2, 1998 (age 22)
Birthplace: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Debut: 2016-09-24
Division: middle
Stance: Southpaw
Total fights: 22
Wins: 21
Losses: 0
Draws: 1
Ema Kozin, the Slovenian professional boxer, is a world champion in two weight classes, and since 2017 she has held the WIBA middleweight title. The 22-year-old has also held the WIBA super-middleweight title since 2018, the WIBF super-middleweight title since 2019, and the WBC interim female middleweight title since October 2020. She has been ranked the fourth-best world’s active middleweight female super-middleweight and the sixth-best active middleweight champion.
Kozin debuted as professional boxing against Ina Milohanic on September 24, 2016. She won the title, scoring a four-round unanimous decision (UD). She fought her first professional title on 16 September 2017. Kozin defeated Sikmashvili by UD, winning the WBU (German) title. Later on, Kozin captured the vacant WBC International and WBF female middleweight titles, defeating Florence Muthoni by UD. In March 2019, Kozin defeated Turunen via UD to become the WIBA champion and the WBF female champion in two weight classes simultaneously.
Suggested Read: Top 4 Elements of a Boxer's Diet & Nutritional Essentials
Name: Lolita Muzeya
Nickname: Black Diamond
Age: 30
Date of Birth: January 11, 1991
Nationality: Zambia
Residence: Lusaka, Zambia
Birthplace: Mwinilunga, Zambia
Debut: 2013-03-23
Division: welterweight
Stance: orthodox
Total fights: 16
The Black Diamond Lolita Muzeya, the welterweight sensation’s 1st round knockout victory against Happy Daudi Mwagika this January, moved her to the 5th position in the WBC welterweight rankings. She is ready to give her best in the upcoming match with Ema Kozin. Lolita Muzeya is hungry to fight the very best, and she looks forward to winning the bout with Ema Kozin. The 30-year-old Muzeya is at a pivotal point in her career. Esther Phiri was the last female boxer in Zambia who made an impact. Muzeya is now moving on the same path and looking forward to bringing laurels to her home nation. She, along with her team, has been working hard to make that happen.
Noni Tenge Background (Lolita Muzeya has replaced Tenge)
Name: Noni Tenge
Nickname: She Bee Stingin
Height:
Nationality: South Africa
Residence: Mooiplaas, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Age: 39
Birthplace:
Debut: 2007-08-10
Division: Super welter
Stance: orthodox
Total fights: 22
The Ema Kozin vs. Noni Tenge match could have been a wonderful addition to Tenge’s illustrious career. The 39-year-old former multiple world female welterweight champion was to face unbeaten double world champion Emma Kozin on July 30. Tenge fought her last bout in August 2019, which was before the lockdown. If we look past the age, Tenge has a fantastic ring record, and she has the same potential to roar back. Trainer Nicky Erasmus was helping her with the training and getting back in shape for the match against Kozin. We can’t wait to see her in her next fight.