The Eastern Cape amateur boxing team underlined the abundance of talent in the province when they dominated the national youth and elite championships in Pretoria at the weekend, romping to a gold medal finish.
The team were so dominant that most of their boxers ended up fighting each other, with the most interesting bout seeing gym mates Masibulele Sigwela and Asali Kwetani from the Modern Boxing Club in KwaNojoli (Somerset East) going hammer and tongs as if they did not know each other.
While Sigwela is already an SA team member having recently won a bronze medal in Seychelles when he was eliminated through injury, Kwetani gave him all he could handle, snapping his knock-out winning streak before succumbing on points in their 57kg clash.
The terrific clash easily scooped the best bout of the tournament in the elite category, with Sigwela getting the nod for best male boxer of the event.
Their trainer, Siyabulela Makala, said he had suspected that the two boxers could face each other down the line and had decided not to let them spar together.
“Kwetani really wanted to get into the SA team and had to go through Sigwela to get there, so there was nothing I could do,” he said.
Kwetani had to settle for silver but his stock went up a notch with his bold stand against his knock-out specialist gym mate.
Team coach Happy Mngqibisa described the performance of the boxers as outstanding after they romped to gold in the youth category but fell short by one medal to Gauteng in elite class.
“Our boys dazzled again and we only lost to eventual champions Gauteng in the elite category because we do not have big boys in the heavy divisions,” he said.
One of the team’s gold medallists was Ukhona “Spider Lady” Pasmani, from Dimbaza in Qonce.
Trained by former provincial bantamweight champion Luthando Maqolo at the Dimbaza United Boxing Club, the 18-year-old is a beacon of hope for the region as she claimed her second gold, becoming the only one to do so.
The Qonce Boxing Organisation’s Zuko Nompumza said the association was proud of Pasmani’s achievement as it inspired the youth to follow in her footsteps.
“We could not be prouder of her because she keeps putting our region on the boxing map,” he said.
“She was our only representative at the national championships and returned with a gold medal in 48-50kg so that should tell you something about her talent.”
Meanwhile, the SA team left for Namibia at the weekend to compete at the Region Five Youth Games punching off on Tuesday.
SA National Boxing Organisation secretary Vuyo Mlokoti said the association sent nine boxers who would compete with their counterparts from 10 countries.
Daily Dispatch
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