After five days of action-packed thrilling boxing, drama and emotional reactions, the curtain comes down on the inaugural Mandela African Boxing Cup tournament, a joint venture between the International Boxing Association (IBA), Africa Boxing Confederation (AFBC) and South Africa National Boxing Organisation (SANABO).
The tournament is in honour of the world’s most famous freedom fighter, anti-apartheid activist and South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, himself a boxer during the turbulent era in Mzansi Nation when Mandela also used boxing philosophy to overcome the hard times he went through fighting for the freedom of his people.
Mandela’s family has supported the tournament through Thembekile Mandela Foundation founded by CEO and Mandela’s grand daughter, Ndeleka Mandela.
The inaugural Mandela African Boxing Cup tournament also coincided with South Africa’s commemoration of 30 years of freedom and democracy since the historic election of April 27, 1994.
While it would have been a fitting tribute to Mandela to see South Africa winning this important event in Africa’s boxing calendar, it’s now apparent the chances of the hosts winning are as remote as touching the moon. Why?
DR Congo have been dominant, and also through luck in the draws and few entries in some weight classes, they’ve managed to enter 13 boxers in the finals with South Africa having seven followed by Mozambique five, Ethiopia three, Mauritius, Angola, Eswatini, Botswana, Lesotho and Gabon two each with Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Uganda, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Namibia and Seychelles having one each.
On paper, DR Congo are the overwhelming favourites but it’s not going to be a walk in the part for the Central Africans in what promises to be a pitched battle with the hosts who are also relying remotely on the support of a combined effort from boxers of other countries to lift the Mandela Cup.
Among some of Africa’s top boxers in the finals include the Mozambique glamour girls, light-middleweight Alcinda Dos Santos and Rady Gramane, both two-time African champions including silver and bronze at the world championships, DR Congo’s African Games champions, light-middleweight Mbiya Kulenguka and light-heavyweight Pita Kabeji, Africa welterweight champion Ivanusa Moreira of Cape Verde, Mauritius’ Commonwealth Games silver medallist Richarno Colin, Tanzania’s Commonwealth Games and Africa bronze medallist Yusuf Changalawe, Kenya’s Africa silver medallist Elizabeth Andiego, Uganda’s Africa silver medallist Erina Namutebi and South Africa’s John Paul Masamba whose light-welterweight final with Richarno Colin will be one of the main bouts of the day.
Masamba and DR Congo’s punching machine Mbaya Mulumba entertained fans with one of the most exciting if not the best bout of the tournament with Masamba carrying the day to book a final with the three-time Olympian Richarno Colin.
There’s another cracker in the light-middleweight between DR Congo’s Mbiya Kulenguka and Mozambican Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Tiago Muxanga. This will be their fourth fight with Kulenguka leading 3-0.
A rematch between Tanzania’s light-heavyweight Yusuf Changalawe and DR Congo’s Pita Kabeji has all the ingredients of an explosive encounter and bad blood too with Changalawe claiming he was robbed of victory when they met in the African Games in Accra.
Changalawe is carrying the hopes of over 50 million Tanzanians not to mention that it’s now 26 years Tanzania has not won a gold medal in a major international tournament since 1998 when Michael Yomba won bantamweight gold in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
We also have some exciting women’s bouts from light-flyweight in which Ethiopia’s African Games gold medallist Bethlehem Gayiza meets Zinnat Ferdous from Bangladesh, Eswatini’s shining star Veliswa Magaya taking on Africa silver medallist Muamba Nyembo of DR Congo, DR Congo’s Africa featherweight champion Marcelat Sakobi vs Mozambican Denilde Macaringue, Tunisia’s formidable lightweight Hlimi Khoulouni vs DR Congo’s Therese Yumba, Uganda’s Africa silver medallist Erina Namutebi vs DR Congo’s Mbamba Merveille who won silver in Yaounde last year and the welterweight duel pitting Africa welterweight champion Ivanusa Moreira vs battle-hardened DR Congo’s Brigitte Mbabi who stopped African Games champion Betel Wolde Dedi of Ethiopia in the semi-finals.
The first session starts at 1pm and will feature 11 bouts, six for men and five women’s bouts.
In the evening session starting at 6pm, 14 bouts are on the card seven a piece for men and women. Altogether 50 boxers from 2O countries will trade leather in what promises to be hotly contested finals in Durban.
Credit: AFBC Communications
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