Athi Klaas will have double motivation when he contests for the provincial junior bantamweight title against Oyisa Gingxana at Ncumisa Kondlo Hall in Peddie on Saturday.
The Border Post boxer will not only be fighting for himself but also for his twin brother, Aviwe, who was forced to quit boxing due to a medical condition.
The twins started boxing together, with Aviwe the first to get a professional setup when he won his pro debut by a knockout.
But the victory was his last in the ring, as he fell victim to a mysterious illness while studying in Cape Town.
The family’s boxing dream was left to Athi’s hands, and he got off to a good start by winning his professional debut, only for Covid-19 to conspire against him to lose to Awonke Tini at Nutting Hall in Stirling in 2021.
His trainer and father, Allen, was not allowed to enter the hall and man the corner as he was not vaccinated during the height of the pandemic, leaving his son to be handled by other trainers.
“I never even saw the bout, so I cannot tell you anything about it,” Allen said.
The Klaas camp used the loss as motivation to work harder, leading to Athi not only bouncing back to winning ways but also doing it in spectacular fashion when he knocked out his next three opponents to vault to the seventh spot in the SA ratings, with promises of a title shot.
But due to the absence of a dedicated promoter behind him, Athi could not get fights for the whole of 2025, which cost him the ratings, forcing him to start afresh by pursuing the provincial title on Saturday.
However, he will not only be required to contend with Gingxana, who is chasing his own dream of joining his brother, Hlumelo, as the only champion from Braelyn, but will also be facing his former sparring partner.
“Athi sparred with Oyisa when he was under Chief [Njekanye], so they know each other well,” Allen said.
“We know his strength, and I guess he knows ours as well, so we are in for a good fight.”
Allen admitted that he was concerned by the ring rust of his son but said they had done their best to wear it off in training.
“I cannot say there is a special way we have prepared for this fight.
“We have prepared for it the same way we always prepare for bouts, and we are confident of winning because this title will open opportunities for us and possibly attract a promoter to work with us.”
Allen, who teamed up with former world champion Simpiwe Nongqayi to develop boxing in the area before going their separate ways, says they are struggling since the departure of promoters such as Mzi Mnguni, Siphatho Handi and Chris Pondo, who used to look after their boxers.
But Athi’s victory will influence promoters to pay more attention to boxing in the area.
Daily Dispatch
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