The gym has become part of a collection of equipment in various stages of repair at the club, where children, youth and would-be professional athletes learn sporting disciplines thanks to the dedication of coach George Khosi.
Khosi competed in his last professional fight in 1997, before being shot in the head and leg during a house robbery. Despite being bandaged and taken to hospital by a group of children, Khosi was forced to retire from professional boxing, but soon opened his Hillbrow gym. Now running clubs in Maboneng Precinct, Hillbrow and Riverlea, Khosi is passionate about uplifting his community’s youth.
“Life is tough for the kids,” said Khosi, who criticises the lack of support provided by parents in Johannesburg’s poorer areas.
Boxing and training, he believes, keep youths busy, off the streets and out of trouble, and he regularly recruits children off the streets to attend free training after school. His adult team, meanwhile, boasts a number of stars, and according to the proud coach, the most prominent boxers in Gauteng have passed through his gym. It is difficult, but possible, to make a living as a professional boxer in South Africa, said Khosi, but for those who don’t attain stardom, the sport plays an important social role, empowering even the youngest men who visit the gym to lift weights and build muscle.
“I make jobs for them, because when they are big, people hire them for security,” said Khosi.
Despite his positive words, Khosi continues to struggle. Providing training at little or no cost without sponsorship, he battles to provide adequate facilities for his young sportsmen and women. With plans to hold a tournament in Hillbrow next year, he needs access to a boxing ring, while money for transport to attend competitions elsewhere remains his biggest challenge.
Brandt, meanwhile, hopes his donation will inspire other readers to lend Khosi a hand in his commitment to Johannesburg’s disenfranchised youth.
Details: George Khosi 082 260 4804.
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