A group of young amateur boxers get to test their strength in a grueling competition filled with bloody noses and technical knockouts.
On Saturday, April 13, 2024, a white-collar boxing event was held at Lightweights Gym in Northfield, Johannesburg, giving promising and inexperienced boxers a platform to showcase their skills in front of an audience.
A group of local boxers came together to create a competition that allowed beginner boxers, who had not competed in official fights, to go up against one another. Ten fights were contested throughout the evening, each one consisting of three, two-minute rounds.
It was a high-adrenaline competition with a couple of fights resulting in a Technical Knock-Out (TKO) which is when a referee stops the match due to one of the fighters being unable to continue fighting or defending themselves.
Lusanda Komanisi, former IBO World Champion and multiple-title holder, was one of the organizers of the prestigious event. When speaking about the importance of it, he said: “We wanted to put fun in it and make people be able to watch boxing and make them scream as much as they want to.”
He added that the event made him proud because of the positive shift away from watching professional fighting as it was able “to put amateurs [in the ring] and give them a chance to shine.”
One of the favourites of the night was Wits graduate, Nota Jiyane, who sparred against Third-year Wits student, Kgothatso Swandle, and won the duel. Jiyane, who was in high spirits following his victory reflected “The fight went to plan, nothing out of the ordinary, you know. I just stuck to the plan that the coaches gave me, it went well”.
Jiyane says the sport is personal for him, “I used to be bullied back when I was a kid, and this was me stepping out of my comfort zone. So, I’m not going to stop now.”
He also believes small platforms like this are where untapped talent lies, “we can be known as the hotspot for one of the best fighters in the world and I believe that we can do that just by doing these little events,”.
Tshepiso Fambe, a spectator, praised the event for bringing people together and allowing people to “showcase their talent”.
Nevertheless, the event was a success, and potential fighters can look forward to the next event which will be hosted in July, giving them ample time to prepare.
FEATURED IMAGE: Two boxers fighting at white-collar event. Photo: Siyanda Mthethwa.
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Wits Vuvuzela, Johannesburg Boxing Team gets ready to rumble, May 2023
- Wits Vuvuzela, Boxing club on a mission to recruit, February 2017
