Boxers knocked down by lockdown

Not only is the national lockdown affecting the business sector, but boxers have also been hit hard.

According to the founder member of the Sibasa Boxing Club, Mr John Nemakonde, his boxers are battling to make ends meet in the national lockdown.

Nemakonde said that none of his professional boxers had had a fight this year. He further said that he had 12 professional boxers in his stable and stressed the fact that boxers did not have fixed salaries like football players.

“Boxers are paid per fight, which implies no fight, no pay,” said Nemakonde.

He further stated that the only female boxer from his club, Ryder Muleba, was supposed to have fought against an opponent from the Eastern Cape early this year and that the fight had not materialised. He revealed that Muleba had developed some health challenges on the day of the fight, a condition that had forced her to withdraw from the fight at the eleventh hour.

He reiterated that Ishmael Makhado, who had turned professional this year, had been gearing himself up for a professional tournament that was supposed to have been staged at Ha-Rabali in the Nzhelele Valley last month, when the lockdown was announced. Nemakonde further stated that his other boxers who had been hit hard by the lockdown were Jansen Mudzanani and Dion Mmbubana.

According to him, Mmbubana and Mudzanani were supposed to be travelling to Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape in August, but the tournament was cancelled because of the pandemic.

Sibasa Boxing Club is known as the home of champions. The club has produced international and national champions, including Muvhuso Mudzanani, Avhashoni Ndou, Terminator Manyelenyele and Mpho Tshiambara.

Sport - Date: 14 May 2020

Frank Mavhungu

Frank is a Human Resources Manager at the Department of Public Works in Limpopo. He is the longest serving correspondent of the Mirror, having joined us at the end of 1990.  He mainly writes sports reports and resides at Tsianda Village. In 2004, Frank won the National Castle League Award, an award for the best reporter in the SAB league in South Africa.

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