Rumble in the ring
Rumble in the ring
On the left: Mr Sanele Thabethe
VUT Sport has introduced an additional sporting code to its inventory, boxing. This was a move initiated as a result of one Sanele Thabethe who wanted to compete at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament. Not a year has passed and we’ve already won a silver medal at the USSAs.
On being asked about what it took to win a medal our boxer had this to say, ‘’preparing for the USSA tournament took a lot of hard work and dedication. I basically trained 6 times a week and that includes running 40km a week, skipping for 30 minutes each day, 500-600 sit-ups and 100 push-ups daily, sparring 4 rounds, pad work and 6-8 rounds on the punching bag.’’
It was a risky move yet a courageous one for Sanele to go into the semi-finals with a terrile injury to the shoulder which he sustained from sparring at the gym. He managed to fight through the pain and as a result earning himself a spot in the finals where he was controversially defeated in a fight that he had clearly won, however, the judges for some reason unbeknownst to the referee and spectators gave the decision in favour of his opponent.
” Boxing is a very biased sport with a lot of politics, as far as I’ve been in it.”
Should he continue with boxing in 2019, Sanele stands a good chance of being selected to represent South Africa internationally. “Getting my revenge is what I want so I can sleep better at night”, he said while laughing.
‘’Through the experience gained from the tournament I’ve come to realise that you always need to work hard for what you want in life regardless of what people say. People always have something to say. Be confident in what you do and always believe in yourself. Not to brag, boxing has made me more disciplined and humble. Some people may call it an ego, but all achievers have ego’’ said Sanele, talking about the impact of boxing in his life.
‘’My advice to someone who has an interest in joining boxing is to train hard and never to underestimate his/her opponents because if you have that mentality, there’s a 90% chance of you kissing the canvas.’’