EC boxers dominate selection for top SA team

Eastern Cape amateur boxing continues to rule in the country, with its boxers dominating the SA team numbers after the selection championships in Dundee at the weekend.

The province sent 20 boxers, consisting of men and women, after five withdrew from the original squad for the championships, which ran from February 15-19.

The bouts were contested in a round-robin format, with all the boxers fighting each other for a points tally in each division.

This led to Eastern Cape boxers fighting one another, with some falling short of making it into the SA team.

However, the province still managed to have 11 of its boxers qualify, making it the province with the most fighters in the team.

Eastern Cape team coach

Mlandeli Mngqibisa was ecstatic with the performance of his boxers, describing it as stunning, especially as they had to fight each other.

“Without playing down other provinces whose boxers also fought each other, there were several bouts among our boxers and that sacrificed some of them,” he said.

One such boxer was Zone Five Youth Games gold medallist Moyisi Booi, who had to fight teammate Sinovuyo Mthintelwa, from Mthatha, in the first bout of their 51kg clash.

Booi, who trains at the Sisonke boxing club in NU8, Mdantsane, lost on points but went on to win his next five matches.

He had to drop to the B team while Mthintelwa made it to team A.

Besides having 11 boxers qualify for the SA team, the province also saw six of its boxers making it to the B team.

As expected, hot prospect Tiisetso Matikinca, who trains under*

Ncedo Cecane in Mdantsane, easily made it to the national team, with another highly touted Duncan Village star, Simnikiwe Bongco, also punching his way to the team in the 75kg category.

Bongco, who trains with Azinga Fuzile at the Duncan Village Boxing Academy under Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye, has already set his sights on cementing his place in the SA team after passing up the opportunity to turn professional.

“My focus is now to go to the Olympics and that is my dream,” he said.

The 20-year-old joined provincial teammates in the national team such as Amzolele “Globe” Deyi, who hails from the talent-laden stable of Zolile “Gqo” Mahamba in NU12, Mdantsane.

The team will have to hit the ground running as they will represent the country at the Zone Four Games in Angola in April.

There are also the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, in July.

SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) secretary Liwa Mlokoti congratulated the team and expressed confidence that they would boost the country’s reputation, which had suffered since SA failed to send boxers to the last two Olympics in Rio and Tokyo.

“This is the start for them to write their own history,” he said.

The Eastern Cape members in the SA team are: Lubabalo Lusizi (Gqeberha), Sinovuyo Mthintelwa (Mthatha), Tiisetso Matikinca (Mdantsane), Sanele Sogcwayi (Mdantsane), Amzolele Deyi (Mdantsane), Mandisile Xhayimpi (Seymour), Simnikiwe Bongco (Duncan Village), Vuyolwethu Dila (Mthatha), Asanda Ndlebe (Gqeberha), Phamela Mayoli (Gqeberha) and Siphosethu Dawethu (Makana).