BOIPATONG.- This week, Sedibeng Ster Sport’s S’Khuluma no is reflecting on the career of the upcoming boxer Mpho Makhanya (20). This Royal Boxing Club boxer represented this region in the SA Boxing Champions on three occasions. This is what he had to say in an exclusive with S’Khuluma no…

Q: Most young people in the community play soccer and show little interest in other sporting activities, but you chose boxing. Why?
A: I developed an interest in boxing at a very young age. I think I was 13 when I fell in love with boxing.

Q: Who inspired you to become a boxer?
A: There was no specific person who persuaded me to become a boxer. This is something that I love. Boxing is my life, and I have big dreams about this sport.

Q: Please share with our readers what your dreams are.
A: Without any doubt, to compete in the Olympic Games in 2028. This is what I’m working on now. Apart from competing at the Olympics, I simply want to become a professional boxer.

Q: It is well known that Boipatong produced great boxers in the past and continues to produce great boxers like Bongani Mahlangu, who is now a household name in South African boxing. What do you think is special about this former massacred township?
A: I was told that this township produced great sportsmen and women in the past, and Bongani Mahlangu and others are the latest generation of boxers to have come from Boipatong. Boipatong is a small township with a great history, politically and sports-wise. I think it is because those who know the history of this township continue with the legacy left by those before them.

Q: Your coach, Cutter Mahlangu, is one of the former boxing greats. what is it like to be trained by a person who is a boxing legend?
A: I was not aware that he was one of the former boxing greats until I found out. I’m very lucky to be coached by him. He knows his staff, and I’m grateful that he is my mentor.