Fight world is braced for the ring Amazons
Mom and daughter team up for good cause
AGROUP of girls rhythmically stomp their feet while displaying deft moves in shadow boxing. Their faces are a contortion of seriousness as sweat streams down to their worn-out training gear.
Some do not even have shoes on but that does not deter them from training any harder than their peers.
The condition of the makeshift training camp resembles the standard of life in the community littered with shacks.
While all are stomping in unison, there is one who seems to be leading the session.
Sinqobile Joxo, 17, occasionally barks instructions when the next phase of training has to be performed.
“One, two, three, four.....” she counts out as one girl does pushups with the expertise of a seasoned boxer.
Joxo, takes commands from her mother Noluvuyo – the Siyaqhuba Boxing Club owner who watches the proceedings intently. The inception of the club is quite remarkable. That it has now produced a national team boxer in Sinqobile underlines the determination Noluvuyo had when she broke away from legendary Eyethu Boxing Club in Mdantsane where she was among the group of girls that flooded the club after the passing of the Boxing Act in 2001.
The act permitted women to engage in boxing after years of its banning.
Among the girls were Noni Tenge who would go and win three world titles.
Others were Namhla Tyhuluba, now a boxing official, the late Amanda Nguta who is still rated as the most talented women boxer ever been produced in the land as well as Unathi Myekeni, the former WBF world champion.
Noluvuyo, a karate player at the time, was influenced by the euphoria that greeted the passing of the act and crossed over to the fistic game.
“Later I left Mdantsane to return home to Santa,” she says.
Sinqobile was then 10 years old and despite her young age she seemed to have inherited her mother’s fighting genes.
“She was training at Santa boxing club with Happy Mgqibiso so naturally I had to align myself with the club.”
She immediately assumed the training duties at the club imparting the knowledge she had acquired from Mdantsane. After a while she opened her own club and named it Siyaqhuba Boxing Club (loosely translating, we are progressing).
“Among others I wanted to train my daughter myself while also doing my contribution in taking kids off the streets,” she says about the reasons for opening the club.
However, it was not smooth sailing as she had to dig deep from her own pocket to get basic stuff such as punchbags and boxing gloves although they quickly wore out.
The presence of her mother served as boost for Sinqobile as her fighting prowess improved drastically.
She is now the shining beacon of the club having collected numerous medals at the national championships in the 49kg category.
But she had her hands full in her last fight against Ayanda Ziqubu from KZN whom she beat at Mdantsane Indoor Sport Centre last week.
Sinqobile’s ring exploits have since earned her “Thunderstorm” moniker.
Despite dedicating herself to her boxing career, Sinqobile whose name aptly means triumph has not forsaken her studies as she is completing Grade 12 at West Bank High School this year.
While Sinqobile can count to the unwavering support of her mother, some of her clubmates are not so lucky as their parents hardly come to watch them during the championships.
This has made Noluvuyo’s job a bit difficult.
“I wish parents could come and support their kids during the tournaments,” she wails.
“This would go a long way to instill confidence especially in tough bouts.”
The club is now busy preparing for the next championships scheduled to be held in September where it hopes Sinqobile will lead it to yet another triumph.