The fighter with the golden fists

The current flyweight and bantamweight titleholder in the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), Nkazimulo Simanga Zulu, aka King Shaka Zulu, is going for gold.

- Marizka Coetzer

He's preparing to fight in an international tournament and is hoping to add another title to his name.

"My fighting nickname comes from my last name, Zulu.

"My first names were too difficult to pronounce, so everyone started calling me "Zulu Boy'." Now "King Shaka Zulu" is his fighting name.

"I am Zulu, I speak Zulu and grew up in KwaZulu-Natal in a small town called Newcastle.

"That's where my father's castle is. I am from the Zulu royal family. My grandfather, Lawrence Zulukamtsheni KaShingana kaMpande, is the brother of King Cetshwayo," he says.

Zulu's career as a fighter kicked off at the age of six.

He says growing up, he looked after cows and that seeing a car was an odd sight for him.

"From a young age, my mother sent me to karate class to learn how to defend myself. In rural areas, we had many fights at the river after school, so I started doing karate when I began school."

Zulu says he remembers how nervous he was for his first competitive fight. "I was aching and crying on the inside, but then I won the fight. I realised it was possible to win. I also won my second fight and started wondering if fighting was my thing.