The Commonwealth Games got off to a disastrous start for the SA boxing team after Simamnkele Damesi was forced to quit his bout against a Mauritius opponent due to injury.
Damesi, from Cape Town, is one of four boxers representing the country at the Glasgow Games, which started on Thursday, with boxing punching off the following day.
Boxing got off to a controversial start after Mozambique and Gabon were barred from competing for submitting test results late.
The matter sparked widespread fury, with the new supervising international federation, World Boxing, condemned for lack of compassion for African boxers who had no adequate laboratories in their countries.
World Boxing took over from the International Boxing Association.
They had to send their samples to Portugal, where results took three days before arriving in Glasgow.
Despite numerous pleas to extend the deadline, WB refused to budge and instead barred the boxers for failing to submit results on time.
However, there was no such misfortune for the SA team as Damesi made his way to the ring against Ziggy Agathe in their 65kg clash.
After starting aggressively, Damesi was caught by a counterpunch which opened a cut above his eye.
As per amateur boxing rules, a cut above the eye is deemed serious enough to be inspected by the ringside doctor, who advised the referee to stop the bout in the first round.
Despite the misfortune, the SA National Amateur Organisation consoled Damesi, commending him for representing the country with pride.
“You wore the SA colours with pride and courage on the international stage, and that alone is an achievement worthy of respect,” Sanabo said.
Next in line to salvage the SA team campaign is medal hope Masibulele Sigwela, who was scheduled to face Zambian Mwengo Mwale on Sunday evening.
On Monday, Thandolwethu Mathiba will take to the ring against Ruby White from England in a women’s clash.
Another boxer in the team is Samumkelisiwe Ncube, who will be in action this week.
The SA team is looking to replicate the performance in the Birmingham Games in 2022, where it brought home two bronze medals through Duncan Village’s Simnikiwe Bongco and Phiwokuhle Mnguni in the female category.
Coincidentally, Bongco, who has since turned professional, was in action at the weekend when he beat Zambian Denis Mwale for his sixth win in a row in Sandton, Gauteng.
* KuGompo City boxer Asemahle Wellem failed in his bid to bring another world title to the city when he was stopped in three rounds by Ali Akhmedov for the IBO light-heavyweight belt in Kazakhstan at the weekend.
Wellem, who took the fight using a Tanzanian licence after he was suspended by Boxing SA for continuously defying the body to fight in Tanzania without authorisation, lost for the third time against a draw with 11 wins.
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