Local Boxers Finally Return To Ring
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday October 18, 2021 16:00
Some of the boxers are dreaming of qualifying for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Mmoloki Thipe of Prisons Boxing Club said he was excited to be back in the ring because his aim is to qualify for the Commonwealth. “I am proud of my performance today despite being the first tournament, I have improved a lot. I have a slight injury but that is not an excuse.
I have proven that I am one of the best boxers in the 60kg category,” he said. Thipe faced Treasure Moremi of DTCB. He explained he fought Moremi many times but this time around, he did not pick any improvement from him.
He said it was the same Moremi he faced the last time. “I caught him with punches that he was unable to block. If he does not change his strategy, he would be punished by other opponents in future. As for me, I was just working on my technique and power,” Thipe said. Moremi admitted that it was a tough bout because during the suspension of sport he did not train. “I have gained weight. I was exhausted, especially my legs. I am an aggressive fighter but today I was just honouring the match. Naturally ,I punish my opponents with many punches,” he said. Moremi said the standard of boxing on the day was below par. Rajab Mohamed Otukile of Mafika was victorious in the 52-54kg category against Maxwell Sechi of BMC.
He said despite the win, he was facing a young boxer and wanted to give him an opportunity to learn some techniques. “I did not want to be harsh on him because this was a first tournament for him. So ,I did not want to risk picking an injury. Preparation was difficult because some boxers have not started training as they are not sure that competition has resumed but I hope next tournament things would change,” he said. For his part Sechi said it is never easy to take on Otukile because he is an experienced opponent. “I learnt a lot from him and I will fight better next time. It has been a difficult period for me because I did not prepare properly. It is time to go back to the drawing board and prepare for the upcoming tournaments,” he said. Veteran coach, Dinners Sikele told Sport Monitor that only four bouts were better while the rest were below standard. He explained that due to the break, boxers have changed divisions, with others went up while others are in lower divisions. “Currently the state of boxing is below standard. The break lasted longer than we anticipated. Boxing does not need a breather in between.
You should always be in good shape. If you just stay without any training, your body changes. But now that things are opening up, I expect boxers to tune up,” Sikele said.