National Amateur Boxing Championship Launched in the Western Cape | Western Cape Government

News

News

National Amateur Boxing Championship Launched in the Western Cape

27 June 2012

The gloves will be on as amateur boxers from across the country take part in the 2012 South African National Boxing Organisation (SANABO) Elite Boxing Championship. The event was launched on Thursday, 28 June 2012, at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) office in Cape Town. The championship will take place from 4 to 7 July 2012 at the Western Cape Sport School in Nooiensfontein, Kuils River.

This joint effort between DCAS, the City of Cape Town, SANABO and Western Cape Amateur Boxing is expected to revive interest in boxing in a sport-crazy province. Male and female boxers will compete in three divisions - featherweight, lightweight and middleweight. A national team will be selected to represent South Africa in major events.

Mzonke Fana, a professional boxer and mentor, and Sinethemba Bam, a national lightweight amateur boxer, joined representatives from the organising partners at the launch. Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport Dr Ivan Meyer spoke in support of reviving boxing in the province. "There is only one way back to the glory days, and that is through the development and promotion of amateur boxing."

Dr Meyer welcomed the involvement of Mr Fana and Mr Bam in the championship because this will inspire many boxers to try to make the national team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2016 Olympic Games. Holding a major national sporting event in the Western Cape will draw sports tourists to the province.

SANABO's current initiative to establish boxing at schools has already found support in three provinces. The organisation hopes to reach at least 900 schools in the nine provinces in the near future. Through its partnership with SANABO and the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government is committed to the development of boxing and to draw people into the sport.

Click here for more information >