Champion Jermaine Dhliwayo with his cousin Harare. Also pictured, from left, are fight promoter and Dhliwayo’s manager Johnny Clark, and coaches on the night, Omar Ali, CJ Hussein and Ray Bull

FEATHERWEIGHT Jermaine “God’s Plan” Dhliwayo picked himself up off the canvas on Sunday to land his first professional title.

Every single fibre of Dhliwayo’s courage and determination was put to the test during his eight-round bout against Jacob Robinson as they fought for the Commonwealth International title.

But far bigger than any of the challenges that the former St Pancras ABC boxer faced in the ring was the location.

The big fight night was held at Harrow Leisure Centre, the same venue where Dhliwayo saw his close friend Sherif Lawal die after collapsing in the ring. Lawal, from Essex Road in Islington, was making his pro debut back in May 2024 when he collapsed in the fourth of a scheduled six-round contest before being rushed to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. It has later revealed that the 29-year-old died of natural causes.

With one of London’s most renowned boxing venues, the York Hall in Bethnal Green, expected to remain closed until next year after traces of the potentially deadly legionella bacteria were found in the cold water system, the Harrow Leisure Centre has become the new go-to location. It is adding a whole new challenge for all the young boxers from St Pancras.

“I only found out about three or four weeks before the fight that the venue had been changed to Harrow,” explained Dhliwayo. “I hadn’t boxed there since what happened to Sherif. It was difficult because those thoughts start to creep in: what if fate repeats itself?

“I didn’t tell any of my friends or family until the last minute because I didn’t want them to dwell on it. But, in the end, you just have to crack on.”

In a battle of the bloodlines, Dhliwayo, who is the nephew of British heavyweight favourite Derek Chisora, faced up against Robinson, the son of former WBO featherweight world champion Stephen Robinson. Despite being dropped in the second round, Dhliwayo hit back to earn a unanimous points decision, with the referee scoring the contest 77–74.

After making it 10 wins out of 10 in the pro ranks, Dhliwayo said: “I feel blessed. After I got knocked down I had to bring out the dog, and I showed that I’ve matured a lot since turning professional.

“This was the first time that I was actually part of all the things that I grew up watching, like my opponent’s team watching my hands get wrapped and checking my gloves, and being part of a check weigh-in a few days before the actual fight.

“I couldn’t really embrace it before the fight because I was in the moment, but looking back now it was a great fight to be apart of.”

In Dhliwayo’s corner for every punch was Saints coach CJ Hussein. Reflecting on his charge’s performance, CJ said: “Jermaine trained really hard for this fight. This was a tough, tough opponent. This was the son of a former world champion, he wasn’t getting in the ring to be a sacrificial lamb – his dad’s reputation was on the line, and he was never going to embarrass himself. We expected a really tough opponent, and that’s what we got.

“Jermaine got banged to the floor, and got back up and took care of business. I think you’re looking at a future British and world champion.”