Overstrand Whale Boxing Club’s star boxer and four-time national gold-medal winner Siphamandla Damesi is off to Russia as part of the national amateur boxing team that will compete at the Brics Sports Games from 12 to 23 June in Kazan.
Siphamandla is one of nearly 5 000 athletes from various Brics countries that will compete in 27 different sporting codes over 12 days.
OWBC coach Mzi Damesi says he is over the moon about this great honour that has befallen his star boxer.
“This is the first time that one of my boxers will compete in an international tournament,” he said.
“SANABO (the South African National Boxing Organisation) informed us only last week that Siphamandla was to be part of the team going to Russia, so it was very short-notice, but we have faith he will do his best and make us proud.
“This will give him and our club very good exposure, and it will show everybody that OWBC is serious about the sport of boxing and what we are capable of.”
He described Siphamandla as a very flexible boxer whose strongest points are his speed, skill and style of boxing.
Competing in the 67 kg welter weight division he has been boxing for eight years and is the only boxer from the Western Cape to be included in the national team competing in Russia.
The BRICS Sports Games are an annual multi-sport event organised by the BRICS countries to strengthen friendly sports ties based on the principles of equality, non-discrimination and equal access of athletes to competitions.Boxing in their blood
Mzi is also extremely proud of his nephew Simamkele Damesi, Siphamandla’s younger brother, who won gold in the 63,5 kg division at the Western Cape Youth Championship held in Ottery recently.
“He won both his fights against a very experienced boxer from Langa and another from Cape Town,” Mzi stated.
This victory, said Mzi, secured a trophy for the Overberg District as the third best performing district.
Simamkele and Sihle Mjongile (48 kg junior fly weight division) are hard at work preparing for the Youth and Elite National Championships that will be held in Durban from 2-6 July.
These are only a few of the OWBC boxers who have achieved great successes under Mzi’s guidance.
“We have a number of upcoming boxers. We just want to thank EMS Foundation and our other supporters who have helped is to create these opportunities,” he stated.
