BOXERS CRASH OUT OF AFRICA CHAMPS

MBABANE – So close, yet so far away.

After getting off  to a good start, all seven of Eswatini boxers were eliminated after losing their bouts and missed out on cashing in on the lucrative cash prizes that have been tabled in the ongoing Africa Boxing Confederation Association (AFBC) Boxing championships held in Mozambique. Eswatini was represented by six male boxers and one female boxer. First to get eliminated was Mayibongwe Mdluli upon losing his first bout to Burundian boxer Nestor Nduwarugi, followed by Sabelo Lukhele (51kg) who lost his first bout to South African opponent Sinovuyo Mtintelwa and the referee stopped the contest (RSC) to prevent him from incurring further harm. Muntu Simelane also lost on RSC as Algerian opponent Hichem Maouch dominated him on the bout of the day.

The only lady among the seven-member team also had a rude welcome on Tuesday evening, losing on a split decision to Memee Ariana Debbie from Seychelles. Zweli Dlamini also had an early exit and got eliminated by Zambia’s Ben Banda in the quarterfinals. The defeats shuttered the local boxers’ hopes of clinching the E43 250 (US$2 500) prize reserved for bronze medalists. They were a win away from getting bronze. Drawn into one of the toughest line-ups, Thabiso Dlamini had a task to win two bouts to secure the bronze package but one win was not enough as he lost his second bout on RSC to Mozambican opponent Jorge Paulo Britos, crushing his dreams of bringing home a medal. Inno lost on RSC in the second round as all five judges voted in favour of South African boxer Sanele Sogcwayi (60kg).

Dlamini said the experience  he got from the championships would help him a lot because these were the boxers he would be competing with in the Olympic Qualifiers. “My goal was to break my record of reaching the quarterfinals but because of the injury, I couldn’t. Otherwise, I’m impressed with my overall performance.” Despite the defeat, Zebra Force Coach Maxwell Ngwenya commended the boxers’ effort, acknowledging the positives they took home to enhance their growth as athletes. He highlighted female boxer Temnotfo Dlamini’s   improved performance and hoped for better results in future. “Considering the standard of boxing in the country, winning four bouts was an achievement for our boxers and the fact that most of them had their first experience of competing in the African Championships stage,” Ngwenya said.

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