Stephen Msimanga: Former boxer taking the fight to another arena

On any given afternoon in Orlando West, Soweto, you’ll find former SA mini-flyweight champion Stephen Msimanga shouting instructions as young boxers bob and weave on a cracked pavement outside his home. There’s no fancy gym, just raw talent.

“We train right here, on the pavement, whether it is hot or raining, we don’t stop,” Msimanga said.

“I was a champ representing this very community but I stand here with the ring in the street,” he said.

For him, it’s all about keeping youngsters off the streets and in the ring.

Msimanga knows struggle. He grew up in Soweto as one of eight siblings, with a paralysed father, who later was arrested, and a mother who died when he was a young boy.

Msimanga was nine years old when his cousin dragged him into the boxing gym and he never looked back.

“When we got seriously into training, the moment I mastered the jab, I knew – this was it,” he said.

ALSO READ: Lerena steps into promoter’s role, but far from done with fighting

But in 1986, his training gym burned down in riots and his newfound passion was put on hold. Then, his luck changed. He switched to the Orlando boxing club and was scouted to train under a mine boxing club in Westonaria.

“Boxing was alive and loved. After one of my fights, I was approached. At the time I couldn’t believe I would amount to anything. I took the opportunity.”

The mine clubs were brutal, Msimanga said. However, he dominated the tournaments, winning multiple championships.

“But I knew the mine fights weren’t the big leagues.”

In 1993, he stepped into the world of professional boxing.

At 27, Msimanga moved to Soweto and joined the famous Dube Boxing Club, where he trained alongside the legendary Baby Jake Matlala. But making it to the professional level was tough. For three years, he couldn’t land a fight and fought off injury.

ALSO READ: Boxing row: A black eye for SA

One of his toughest fights was against Thembinkosi Blou in an eight-round war. This led him to compete for the Gauteng light-flyweight title which he lost to Morgan Ndumo in 1998. One year later, he won the SA mini-flyweight title against Neo Seboka and challenged for the WBO world title in 1999.

In 2010, he launched the Stephen Msimanga Boxing Foundation, focused on boys with troubled backgrounds. He has trained prison inmates and amateur and professional fighters – and some of his students are making names for themselves.

Despite having no funding, lack of equipment and no permanent space to train, he won’t give up. “My goal is for one of these kids to make it. Others will follow. There’s so much talent in SA. The sport is still alive but it needs real investment.”

NOW READ: OPINION: Tyson v Paul — fight or farce?