Walkerville’s boxing champ Hadebe honoured
Smangele Hadebe is paving the way for other female boxers and evidently, she was recently celebrated at the recent gsport Annual List of Newsmakers ceremony where she rubbed shoulders with South Africa’s topnotch athletes.
Simangele Hadebe was celebrated at the recent gsport Annual List of Newsmakers ceremony, after what she describes as enjoying a wonderful year.
This is after she was crowned the female boxer of the year at the Boxing SA Awards. She is the South African flyweight as well as the African Union Boxing (ABU) champion.
And now Hadebe, fondly known by her many followers as ‘Smash’ for smashing ultimate record-breaking achievements in the ring, is lined up to fight for the World Boxing Council (WBC) title.
Sitting on 18 fights, 13 wins, three losses and two draws, the pro-fighter was proudly presented with the 2023 gsport Newsmaker of the Year award at #GAL2023 where she shared the stand with SA’s most visible sportswomen.
The 30-year-old boxer from Walkerville, who is under the watchful eye of her manager Colleen McAusland, aims to elevate women’s boxing and establish a lasting legacy for future generations, while strongly advocating against child abuse.
“I’m grateful for the award that gsport presented to me. Part of what they do is to spot women who are excelling in their sporting codes and honour them accordingly,” Hadebe explained.
“This will put my name on the map. The recognition clearly shows that I’m doing well as a woman in the sport of boxing, and I’m truly honoured. I’m excited for the upcoming year.”
With 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence upon us, she said she stands against the scourge of abuse against women and children.
“I dedicate my fights to women and children who were abused and could not speak for themselves. My fights are about telling them that they can fight what they went through and also know that they are not alone,” she said.
