Tournament packs a punch
Syathaba Boxing Promotions recently partnered with Boxing South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal Sports and Recreation.
THE rise in popularity of mixed martial arts or, as it is better known, MMA, has meant that contact sports, such as boxing, have taken somewhat of a backseat when it comes to coverage.
While the popularity of the sport hasn’t waned in other provinces such as Gauteng and the Western Cape, there has been a lull in the sport in KwaZulu-Natal.
One man hoping to change this is promoter, Sandile Vilakazi.
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Vilakazi’s Syathaba Boxing Promotions recently partnered with Boxing South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal Sports and Recreation to launch a boxing tournament, held at the weekend at the APN Portuguese Club in Umbilo.
“We had boxers from the Free State, East London, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal compete,” explained Vilakazi.
He said the aim of these tournaments was to raise the profile of the sport and allow younger fighters the chance to grow.
“We are trying to build champions. That is the reason why our slogan is Road to Glory, because these young men will find their way to success through our promotion. We are also trying to promote boxing in the rural areas because, quite often, they are overlooked. We want to bring back boxing fame to the stadiums like the old days,” he said.
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Reflecting on some of the results from the weekend’s bouts, Vilakazi said Njabulo Buthelezi won a unanimous points decision in the flyweight category.
Khumbulani Duma made a successful debut in his fight in the middleweight category.
For information on upcoming tournaments, email syathabaproject@gmail.com or contact Vilakazi on 072 715 0016.
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