Concerning video shows boxer suddenly attack phantom opponent

Anything can happen in combat sports, for better or worse. And for this reason, we are constantly met with new and unusual sights inside…

By: Tim Bissell | 12 months ago
Concerning video shows boxer suddenly attack phantom opponent
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Anything can happen in combat sports, for better or worse. And for this reason, we are constantly met with new and unusual sights inside the ring and cage.

One such strange occurrence is when a stunned fighter, seemingly unaware of their surroundings, goes after a referee or corner person.

Thankfully, when this happens the dazed fighter is usually unable to launch an attack to the best of their abilities.

Over the weekend we saw something similar to this during a WBF African lightweight title bout between Simiso Buthelezi and Siphesihle Mntungwa in Durban, South Africa. Tim Boxeo on Twitter shared video of the bizarre moment.

The video shows Buthelazi surging forwards and forcing Mntungwa through the ropes. However, after the a separation it becomes clear that Buthelazi must have gotten stunned during the exchange.

Buthelazi can be seen getting drawn, at first to the referee, and then an empty corner. He moves to that corner and begins to box against thin air.

When the referee realizes what is happening, he waves off the contest — giving the win to Mnutungwa.

According to firstsportz.com Buthelazi was rushed to hospital immediately after the contest. That outlet reports that the fighter is in stable condition.

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About the author
Tim Bissell
Tim Bissell

Tim Bissell is a writer, editor and deputy site manager for Bloody Elbow. He has covered combat sports since 2015. Tim covers news and events and has also written longform and investigative pieces. Among Tim's specialties are the intersections between crime and combat sports. Tim has also covered head trauma, concussions and CTE in great detail.

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