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Boxing League up and running at last

Sanabo president Andile Mofu, Deputy Sports Minister Gert Oosthuizen and Sports Department director-general Alec Moemi during the launch of the Open Boxing League in Tsakane on Saturday. / Supplied
Sanabo president Andile Mofu, Deputy Sports Minister Gert Oosthuizen and Sports Department director-general Alec Moemi during the launch of the Open Boxing League in Tsakane on Saturday. / Supplied

After a long wait, the Open Boxing League (OBL) was eventually launched at the weekend.

"We are very happy that finally this has happened," said SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) president Andile Mofu.

"The OBL was supposed to have kicked off in February, but had to be shelved due to some logistics [challenges]."

The launch in Tsakane, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday was attended by Deputy Sports Minister Gert Oosthuizen and director-general of sports Alec Moemi.

Mofu said a pre-test 10-bout tournament, which involved eight male and two female bouts, was staged.

"We will only be back in Tsakane in August to start with OBL.

"We had both the Gauteng and North West in action on Saturday. Gauteng, which is called the Workabees, came with a strong team that beat the Scorpions from the North West 10-0.

"There will be 30 bouts for over three weeks in August," said Mofu.

Mofu said that out the league, Sanabo will select a national team going to the championships in Angola, but the greater plan is to have them in the African Championships that is the qualifier for the World Championships later in the year.

He paid tribute to former sports minister Fikile Mbalula for injecting R10-million into the project that is aimed at producing boxers for both the Commonwealth Games in Australia next year and the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.

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