The Eastern Cape amateur boxing team dominated the national elite and youth championships held in Cape Town by bringing home gold and silver medals with more accolades to cement its status as the development hub in the country.
Most impressive were the boxers competing in the youth category, as they ruled supreme again in the four-day event to defend the title they won in Pretoria in 2025.
Besides the triumph in the youth category, the province also produced the best boxers of the tournament in the women’s and men’s sections, with Kamva Ntuli scooping the award in the boys’ class and Linomtha Rangana doing likewise in the girls’.
They joined Imitha Mkala, who got the nod in the female category of the elite level.
Team coach Noluvuyo Joxo, whose sterling work in boxing development is unrivalled, lauded the team’s performance, attributing it to the dedication and adequate planning in the camp held in Gqeberha.
“The talent in the province is unmatched, but we as coaches need to nurture it accordingly and remind the athletes of the conventional methods of competing in these events,” she said.
Joxo, who has previously accompanied Team SA in numerous international championships with aplomb, predicted a bright future for medal winners while emphasising the importance of ring-fencing those who fell short.
While the elite team was also expected to romp to a gold medal, it was forced to settle for silver after being pipped by the emerging KwaZulu-Natal team, whose boxers have enjoyed a resurgence due to the partnership the province has with the Eastern Cape.
However, the Eastern Cape’s dominance was reflected by the number of boxers who returned with the best award of the tournament, with Makala, who hails from Sisonke Boxing Club, underlining the development in the club.
Besides Makala’s accolades, the club also contributed three gold medals and silver in both categories.
Uyanda Dingan and Lathitha Mbana won medals in the youth category, joining Mkala and Phumla Vakalisa among medal winners in the elite level.
Sisonke’s trainer Nkoi Matshoba, a former seasoned professional boxer, congratulated his fighters, saying their achievements underscored the deep focus of the club in development.
“We could not be prouder of their achievements, which maintain the club’s history of being one of the best boxing products in the country,” he said.
Among the club’s achievements include nurturing and polishing the talent of the province’s first WBC champion, Siyakholwa Kuse, who honed his skills at the establishment before relocating to Gauteng.
Others include Noni Tenge, who was the first SA female boxer to win the IBF title when she beat New Zealander Danniela Smith, while Moyisi Booi is the beacon of hope as the incumbent SA junior bantamweight champion.