Kamanya calls for development of amateur fighters
MTC Salute Boxing Academy executive chairman Kiriat Kamanya has said the future of boxing in Namibia lies in the hands of amateur boxers, hence the need for all boxing stables in the country to join forces and develop junior fighters vigorously.
Kamanya said this when he sent off two amateur boxers from his club to Malawi for their participation in the 2022 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games set for Lilongwe from 02 to 11 December 2022.
“As Salute, we are proud of our juniors who have shown great progress as evidenced by these two young men who were selected for the team that will go to Malawi. We, as Salute Boxing Academy, do not focus only on professionals, we also
focus on the youth,” he said.
The two boxers expected to travel on Saturday are 18-year-old Alfeus
‘Golden Boy’ Modino, who will fight in the 63-69-kilogramme weight category, and 17-year-old Thomas ‘Troublemaker’
Ishidhimbwa, who will participate in the 48-52-kilogramme category.
This will be the second time Modino participates in the AUSC Youth Games after he won a bronze medal in Maseru, Lesotho in 2021.
“I could have won a gold medal in Lesotho, but I tested positive for Covid-19 just before the semi-finals. I am hoping to do well this time,” Modino said.
As part of their commitment to developing boxing, Kamanya said Salute Boxing Academy will always open doors to young boxers who want to further their skills in boxing, adding that the sport helps keep the youth out of dangerous activities and at the same time create careers for the youth.
He then announced that his stable will host a youth tournament on Saturday at One Nation open market, where young boxers from Salute and other clubs will compete in an exhibition tournament.
The tournament will be free of charge and 30 boxers are expected to fight each other in 15 bouts of various weight classes. The winning boxers will receive medals.