Mohlwadibona Boxing Club hosted a boxing event at the Rabie Ridge community hall on May 6.
Jeff Ngwenya, from the Johannesburg Boxing Organisation, said the event was an outreach programme sponsored by Gauteng Department of Sport in conjunction with the City of Johannesburg.
He said 12 boxing clubs took part in the event and all the awarded medals were courtesy of the sports department.
“This is a development boxing programme aimed at making young boxers ready for the Gauteng Championships that will take place in September 2017.
“The Johannesburg Boxing Organisation is running the programmes to make sure people are aware that boxing is alive and well in the townships,” said Ngwenya.
He said the organisation has spotted a lot of talent in the event.
“In the school age division there was a good influx. There’s good talent here and a lot of potential, and that is why we nurture them so much.”
He said in the Junior division, which is the age between 15 and 16, there was also some hot talent.
“That talent is matured already, we are just waiting for the Commonwealth Games to come. In the youth division, which is the age between 17 and 18, the talent is no longer raw but those boys are ready for the championships and major international events,” said Ngwenya.
“The elite division, which is the age between 19 to 40, is also ready but if age catches up with them and they don’t make it to the Commonwealth Games, they can turn to professional boxing and make money for themselves and their families.”
He said their mandate as a boxing organisation is to nurture talent in all of Johannesburg’s townships.
“We need to get all young people away from social ills that are destroying our community.”
“We had 56 young stars who were boxing today. We are working hard here and it was great to have parents coming and supporting the youngsters.”
“We are not only teaching boxing here but we are also teaching discipline in how the young boxers should relate to other people, including their peers”.
Mohlwadibona Boxing Club’s manager and event organiser, Rose Makgeta, is developing and training young boxers in Tembisa.
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