Team South Africa Boxers fight their way to three gold medals at the Region 5 Games in Lilongwe

By GARY LEMKE in Lilongwe

Boom! Boom! Boom! Team South Africa fought their way to three gold medals at the Region 5 Games in Lilongwe on Saturday, while they also collected two silvers to ensure boxing had a successful tournament on Malawi soil.

Gold went to flyweight (51kg) Siseko Teyise, middleweight (75kg) Vuyo Mnguni and girls flyweight (52kg) Sotwili Asemahle, while featherweight (57kg) Tshepo Makebele and girls bantamweight (54kg) Mtho Okuhle lost their final bouts but go home with silver.

Siseko won the gold medal at the Region 5 Games in Maseru in 2021 and he is obviously a boxer with a future. He loves to say, “and still … flyweight champion …” and so it proved to be as he was handed a points verdict over his Zambian opponent.

Team SA had five boxers in the finals, but they were kept waiting for some 90 minutes as an undisclosed hitch prevented the action from starting as scheduled. This meant that the boxers had already warmed up and were ready to go into the ring but were then made to stew as the officials were seemingly locked behind closed doors discussing some issue.

However, the southpaw Siseko came on strongly in the third round to take the verdict. The first two rounds were even as the South African boxed largely off the back foot, trying to draw the Zambian onto him to land an uppercut. In the third round he boxed a bit more behind his right jab and landed well with the jab, which was enough to see his fist raised at the end.

Next up was Makebele and if the truth be told he was never in touch against a stylish Zambian opponent. Makebele punched fresh air for long periods but was tagged repeatedly by an opponent who resorted to showboating to prove his dominance. It was a frustrating three rounds for Makebele, but the outcome was never in dispute.

Mnguni, taller and with a longer reach, boxed from behind his southpaw right jab and matched that with some solid left hooks. One such punch caught his Botswana opponent in a flurry and the referee delivered an eight-count.

Although the action was twice halted and the doctor was summoned to clean Mnguni’s bloody nose he was given the verdict. From ringside it looked close but he had done enough to win it, and the standing count clearly totted up the points.

The third gold medal came from Asemahle who got off to a fast start and landed a series of punches which saw her opponent given an eight-count in the first round. However, the South African seemed to tire in the final two rounds and I thought she was a touch fortunate to be given the decision over her Zambian opponent. At the very least it was a controversial call by the judges, but the 17-year-old Team SA boxer was given the verdict.

The final bout saw Okuhle, a Grade 11 pupil from Eerste River outside Cape Town lose a points decision that wasn’t disputed. She found herself lunging forward too much against her taller opponent. Lead right hooks were thrown and fall short, and she was vulnerable to being picked off on the counter.

For Okuhle, who takes home a silver, it must be remembered, it’s back to school in every sense. She needs to be taught to bob and weave and earn the right to throw the hooks, because it was all too predictable for her opponent.

Team SA management however will be well pleased with the five medal haul from its boxers as there was plenty of promise on display.

Source: TeamSA