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Masibulele Sigwela will be looking to add his name to the list of Eastern Cape boxers who have won a medal at the Commonwealth Games after he was selected to compete in Glasgow.
Popularly known as “Gusheshe”, Sigwela, from KwaNojoli (formerly Somerset East), is the lone provincial member among four boxers selected to represent Team SA, consisting of two males and two females, at the quadrennial showpiece from July 23 to August 2.
Other boxers in the team are Simamkele Damesi, from Cape Town, and two women, Thandolwethu Mathiba and Samukelisiwe Ncube, from KwaZulu-Natal.
However, Sigwela is the biggest hope for Team SA following his heroics at the IBA International Championships in Dubai, where he won a bronze medal in the 57kg category in December.
Sigwela, who hones his skills under Siyabulela Makala at the Modern Boxing Club, will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Mdantsane’s Thulani Mbenge, who brought home the bronze medal the last time the games were held in Glasgow in 2014.
Getting an opportunity to emulate Mbenge’s heroics came by chance for Sigwela after Australia and Malaysia declined to host the games due to budgetary constraints.
Makala said he was confident his charge would carve his own niche in the sport by bringing home a medal.
“This boy works very hard in the gym, and I have no doubt that he will repeat the feat he achieved in Dubai and add his name to the list of boxers who have won a medal at the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
While Sigwela wants to make his mark in the amateur ranks by winning as many medals as possible, emulating Mbenge’s success in the professionals is another motivation.
Mbenge transformed his amateur success to the paid ranks where he won the SA and two world titles in the welterweight division.
“But we want Gusheshe to win as many medals at the amateur level as possible before we can think about the professionals,” Makala said.
After returning empty-handed from the 2018 Gold Coast games in Queensland, Australia, SA made amends in Birmingham four years later when it brought home two medals.
Duncan Village’s Simnikiwe Bonco triumphed in the middleweight category when he won a bronze medal, with KwaZulu-Natal’s Phiwokuhle Mnguni doing likewise in the women’s featherweight section.
The SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) said the team was selected after the boxers’ achievements in previous international championships were taken into consideration.
Sanabo vice-president Lwandiso Kwababana said the selection of the boxers followed recommendations by the national coaching staff in consultation with the Sanabo national executive committee.
“The selection was primarily based on performances at past international competitions, with nominations submitted to Sascoc confirmed based on the available athlete quota places and its high-performance selection criteria,” he said.
“We are hoping the team will keep SA’s good record at the Commonwealth Games after the previous group returned with medals in Birmingham.”
The SA team is in a month-long camp in Johannesburg under the eye of coach Nkosinathi Hlatshwayo, who led the technical team in Dubai.
Daily Dispatch
