Boxers celebrate 29 years of comradeship
The East Rand Veterans Boxing Association is still standing after 29 years.
At a birthday braai on August 9, 1989, an idea was born to form a veterans club for boxers in Primrose.
Tony Habib, together with a few boxers, co-signed the idea, and boxing enthusiasts, young and old, now had a community they could belong to, where they could share their love for the sport.
Twenty-nine years later, the East Rand Veterans Boxing Association (ERVBA) is still standing, celebrating its milestones and welcoming new members.
Pat Markotter, a member of ERVBA, led the opening prayer last Friday to kick-start ERVBA’s 29th birthday party at the Primrose Bowling Club.
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The community also paid homage to their fallen members by observing a moment of silence.
Glad to see the youth in attendance, Markotter stated that grooming new members, especially the youth, was important to the association, for they would carry the baton and keep the legacy of the veterans’ association alive.
“This year’s committee is my favourite because it has the participation of the youth and the wisdom of the old. There is a balance in the structure,” said Markotter.
The birthday celebration served as a reunion for many former fighters, such as the 1980 heavyweight champion and now pastor, Jimmy Abbott, who was present with his family, as well as junior-middleweight champion from 1996 to 2006, Gregory Clark.
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Thulani Sugarboy Malinga, who twice held the WBC super-middleweight title between 1996 and 1998, was also among the boxing veterans celebrating ERVBA’s 29th birthday.
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