SA boxing team recorded one of the worst performances at the Commonwealth Games when its boxers lost all their opening bouts.
SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) sent four boxers to Glasgow Games, two males and two females, some with no international experience, coached by Nkosinathi Hlatshwayo and Moonyean Britz.
Lone Eastern Cape representative Masibulele Sigwela had been the team’s biggest medal hope owing to his best run at the at the IBA International Championships in Dubai, where he won a bronze medal in the 57kg in December.
The women boxers, Thandolwethu Mathiba and Simukelisiwe Ncube, had never represented the country at an international championship.
Simamkele Damesi, the second male boxer, had represented the country at various continental championships but his experience at the elite level remained questionable.
It was no wonder when Damesi crashed to a first-round loss to Ziggy Agathe of Mauritius in the 65kg clash though his elimination was due to a cut.
However, the cut was caused by the punch warranting the referee to stop the fight and award it to the Mauritian boxer.
Sigwela was shocked by Zambian Mwengo Mwale in the 55kg in which he was forced to compete despite appearing to land better points-scoring punches with two of the judges voting for him.
It was then left to the two women boxers, Mathiba and Ncube, to salvage pride though they faced tough opposition in their opening bouts.
Mathiba was soundly beaten by English foe Ruby White in their 51kg when she lost all the rounds, while Ncube crashed to a second-round stoppage loss to 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Rosie Eccles of Wales in their 70kg clash.
The Welshwoman was in command all the way, dropping Ncube twice before the one-sided slaughter was halted by the referee in the second round.
Sanabo admitted that Ncube faced an uphill battle against Eccles as she had never competed in an event of such magnitude before.
“It was Ncube’s first international competition and she showed guts against a proven star that had wealth of experience having won gold at the previous Games,” it said.
The poor run matched the 2010 New Delhi Games in India when the SA boxing team consisting of four boxers returned empty handed.
It was another bad run at the 2018 Gold Coast Games in Australia where the two-member team also did not win any medals.
But it roared back to life at the 2022 Games in Birmingham where the team brought back two bronze medals through Duncan Village’s Simnikiwe Bongco and KwaZulu-Natal’s Phiwokuhle Mnguni in the women’s section.
Daily Dispatch
