The plethora of South African National Boxing Organisation champions in their ranks will make Fort Hare a strong contender for gold medals at the USSA tournament in East London next week.
A total of 18 pugilists have been measured, weighed and included for this year’s University Sports South Africa event at WSU.
Coach Mandilakhe Sontlaba believes his fighters are in great shape and have an excellent chance of topping the podium in their respective categories.
Perennial SA representative and USSA champion Vuyolwethu Dila and another Proteas youth boxer, Asemahle Sotwili, will lead the charge on the women’s side.
Among the men, Sanabo gold medallist Ndikho Majovu and Sakhe Tyam are expected to pack plenty of punch.
First-years Sotwili and Majovu are extremely exciting prospects and Sontlaba is backing both to go far in the sport.
The former has been one to watch since winning gold in the girls’ flyweight division at the 2022 Region 5 Youth Games in Malawi.
Majovu, on the other hand, has come on in leaps and bounds this year after the coach convinced him to take his boxing more seriously, with success quickly coming in the way of his Sanabo title in the 75 to 80kg division.
Fort Hare boxer Ndikho Majovu has enjoyed a sensational breakout year and aims to cap it off with USSA gold in East London. Photo: Full Stop Communications
The Eastern Cape university raked in the medals at last year’s USSAs in Cape Town, winning four gold, five silver and three bronze medals. Twelve of the 18 boxers sent to the Mother City also reached their respective finals.
The 2023 champs were Sontlaba’s first at the helm and, by his own admission, he had been uncertain of what to expect.
Now that he has experienced the student bouts, he is confident his charges will emerge victorious at the December 2 to 4 event. The boxers have been in camp since November 21.
As fit as they arrived, Sontlaba is taking no chances and has been putting them through a rigorous training regime.
“We’re doing conditioning, power and strength, flexibility and agility and are working on our techniques,” he said.
It is also important that they keep an eye on the weight limits across the various divisions.
His boxers run five to six kilometres at 6am and don’t eat until 12pm, when they have oats, eggs and two slices of bread. Then it is gym at around 4pm, followed by supper at 6pm.
The coach is impressed by the level of discipline he has seen at the camp, corroborating his view that they are serious championship contenders.
Sontlaba suggests Fort Hare’s biggest challenge will come from the likes of CPUT, whose boxers are known for their fitness in the ring even if they may not be the most gifted skills-wise.
Hosts WSU also have two or three good fighters in the men’s category and he expects them to get a podium finish in front of their own fans.
He said there was always pressure on Eastern Cape universities to come good as the province was the breadbasket of the sport in the country.
“We definitely don’t want them (medals) going to KZN or Joburg.”