The next day, Levendale marched into Elizabeth’s office, grabbed her hand and pulled her from her desk. “You’ve got to see this!”

She was tired and groggy because of lack of sleep and worry and she didn’t need this, not now. After waking up in the middle of the night with her revelation, she couldn’t go back to sleep. She told no one. She didn’t know what to do with the information. She was really starting to care about Realeboga and now this. Could she tell him the truth? Would he care if she was EB Diseko? The person calling him a coward? She was scared. Her column came out today, and The Hitman was not going to like it. She’d called him a chicken as well as a few other things. She speculated that the reason he refused to fight Gimba Kwabizani was because he knew Kwabizani would beat the crap out of him because The Hitman was a “one hit wonder”. She’d laid into him pretty well. She was trying her best to get him angry so he’d get back in the ring. She knew if The Hitman fought Kwabizani it would be the fight of the decade. She’d been quite proud of the “one hit wonder” bit when she’d sent the column off to Rre Chako. Now she felt sick about it. How had she done something like that to Realeboga?

She felt ashamed. She felt awful about the entire column. She wished somehow she could take it all back but it was too late. She knew why Realeboga didn’t want to box anymore. He was honouring his late mother’s wishes. He wanted to make his reputation through his brains not his brawn just like his mother had wanted him to do. Now her column was out there insulting him for respecting his mother, out there throwing around wild accusations. She felt awful and didn’t know how she could make anything better. What she didn’t know was that it was all going to get much, much worse.

“What is it Levendale? I’m busy. I don’t want to be troubled by you today,” she protested as he pulled her down the thin hall into the office with the television. Her editor Rre Chako was already there.

When Elizabeth arrived he turned to her, “It looks like your column hit a soft spot with someone.”

Elizabeth looked at the TV. There was Gimba Kwabizani and sitting next to him was the well known promoter, Mike John ,and next to him…. Felix! Felix the owner of the restaurant, the friend to Realeboga. Felix- The Hitman’s manager. Elizabeth slipped down into a chair, numb from fear now, and watched.

Gimba was speaking, answering questions from journalists. “Of course I’ve wanted this fight for sometime as you all know. I’ve been talking to Felix, trying to get him to convince his boxer. But I think the last push was EB Diseko’s column today. I think all of you read Punch Drunk and know EB has been pushing for this fight too. He knows like I do that it will be good for South African boxing to lay this issue to rest once and for all. And now it looks like it’s going to happen. He’s going to get what he wanted- a match between me and The Hitman.”

A SABC sport journalist raised his hand. “And Felix, what does The Hitman think about coming out of retirement?”

“I’ll be honest, he didn’t want to do this, but at the same time he couldn’t sit by and let this Diseko fellow continue to insult him like this, spreading lies about his ability as a boxer, taunting him to get in the ring. I’ve been telling him for years he’s a talented boxer and he retired too soon. But I guess this EB fellow got to him finally. The Hitman decided enough was enough. He would put the rumours to rest once and for all even if it meant coming out of retirement. One thing The Hitman is not is a ‘one hit wonder’, he’s a man of integrity and a damn fine boxer, one of the best this country has ever produced.”

Another journalist jumped up. “When will we get to see Mr Matlho? No one has seen him since he won the belt in 2001? Everyone’s curious. He’s 31 now, maybe he’s too old for a fight like this.”

“You’ll see him at the fight, next month,” Felix said and started getting up. He was finished with the press conference.

Mike Johnson came to the microphone, “Sorry, folks. Looks like the press conference is over. See you at the fight. And EB, if you’re out there, thanks for getting this fight together! I think we’re all going to be in for something really special!”

Levendale stood up and shut off the TV. “That was some good publicity for the magazine and your column. You ought to be proud,” Rre Chako said. “Good job!”

“Yeah, sure,” Elizabeth said. Proud? She felt sick. What had she done?

“It’s going to be a disaster. You know it right?” Levendale asked. “That Hitman of yours is going to get in the ring and embarrass himself. A 31 year old man fighting Kwabizani at the top of his game? It’s a joke.”

Elizabeth watched them leave and she stayed sitting. Yes, it was going to be a disaster. She knew that very well. But not only in the boxing ring.