Local boxers battle two-faced foe
Diet and environment key to landing stunning TKOs
Too little credit is often given to South African boxers, especially in their fights against top boxers outside these shores. Some local fans are too quick to run down their own and fail dismally to acknowledge the challenges SA boxers face before they jump inside a ring.
A large number of black boxers are from poor families where even fruit and vegetables cannot be their daily diet. Fruit and vegetables are naturally good and contain vitamins and minerals that help to keep one healthy.
Dieticians have always suggested that athletes in general must eat healthy food, including grilled chicken with roasted vegetables, egg omelette with avocado spread on toast, salmon with sweet potatoes, tuna salad, whole wheat grain, banana and cottage cheese.
But all that requires money and without a sponsor, this is impossible. Diet helps boxers to reduce weight without any struggle – something that those who have sponsors do not even worry about. They go as far as taking supplements to help build, maintain and repair muscles. Proteins improve the body’s response and shorten the time needed to recover after exercising.
Just two weeks ago, Xolisani “Nomeva” Ndongeni looked like a zombie during the weigh-in for his 10-round fight with Devin “The Dream” Haney in Las Vegas. Haney looked twice as big as Ndongeni yet did not struggle to make the limit of the lightweight division. Ndongeni lost.
Last weekend, Bukiwe “Anaconda” Nonina – the reigning WBF bantamweight champion – lost to Sarah Mahfoud for the IBF Inter-Continental featherweight belt in Denmark. The limit for the bantamweight division is 53.52kg. Nonina had to bulk up to make 57.15kg for the featherweight limit so that she could hurt her opponent with her blows. Mahfoud enjoyed weight advantage and every blow she landed would have done serious damage.
Fortunately, Nonina was able to use her limber legs and avoid mixing up with her foe.
Without proper diet the mission of adding up more weight is impossible. Nonina accepted that boxing match because she saw the opportunity to fight for the actual IBF title as it was announced that the winner of the bout would challenge for that title, which is one of the big four – the others being the WBC, WBA and WBO.