Women’s boxing struggled to gain a foothold with local fans, and Boxing SA director Mandla Ntlanganiso got it all wrong when he said it is a new phenomenon.
The truth is that the women boxing has been around for a very long time and has had its successes with SA producing the first legitimate world champion for Africa in Noni Tenge when she won the IBF belt.
Boxing Act of 2001 allowed women to box professionally for the first time in 2006, but the first tournament “Women Only” was staged in Durban in 2007 by Showtime Boxing Promotion of Mbali “Don Queen” Zantsi. It was in that tournament that Tenge made her professional debut.
Before 2001, there was no professional female boxing in SA and that is why Sandra Almeida went to New Zealand where she made her professional debut.
Accomplished veteran sports administrator Muditambi Ravele – the first female to chair the seven-member board of BSA – did wonders in encouraging women to join boxing in various ranks.
When her three-year term expired in 2017, everything which had to do with women boxing just came to a standstill. Right now there are only 20 licensed boxers with only six champions. Some like Hedda Wolmarans, who won the junior welterweight belt in 2019, are yet to defend because there are no contenders.
Women’s fights are contested for two-minute a round, whereas all men’s bouts at three-minute a round, and that women also fight shorter championship distances, going 10 rounds for world title fights as opposed to 12 rounds for men. There has been a suggestion that rounds be contested over three minutes but the number of rounds be reduced to eight in championship fights because the general feeling is that women boxing has failed to attract fans purely because bouts end quickly.
Ntlanganiso said: “I think the fight fraternity must have a discussion with women so that they tell us exactly what they want. From that discussion we will then be able to move together forward. As BSA we are insisting that all tournaments sponsored by the government must feature two or one women bout.”
Ntlanganiso wants solution to women's boxing troubles
'As BSA we are insisting that all tournaments must feature women bouts'
Image: Lefty Shivambu
Women’s boxing struggled to gain a foothold with local fans, and Boxing SA director Mandla Ntlanganiso got it all wrong when he said it is a new phenomenon.
The truth is that the women boxing has been around for a very long time and has had its successes with SA producing the first legitimate world champion for Africa in Noni Tenge when she won the IBF belt.
Boxing Act of 2001 allowed women to box professionally for the first time in 2006, but the first tournament “Women Only” was staged in Durban in 2007 by Showtime Boxing Promotion of Mbali “Don Queen” Zantsi. It was in that tournament that Tenge made her professional debut.
Before 2001, there was no professional female boxing in SA and that is why Sandra Almeida went to New Zealand where she made her professional debut.
Accomplished veteran sports administrator Muditambi Ravele – the first female to chair the seven-member board of BSA – did wonders in encouraging women to join boxing in various ranks.
When her three-year term expired in 2017, everything which had to do with women boxing just came to a standstill. Right now there are only 20 licensed boxers with only six champions. Some like Hedda Wolmarans, who won the junior welterweight belt in 2019, are yet to defend because there are no contenders.
Women’s fights are contested for two-minute a round, whereas all men’s bouts at three-minute a round, and that women also fight shorter championship distances, going 10 rounds for world title fights as opposed to 12 rounds for men. There has been a suggestion that rounds be contested over three minutes but the number of rounds be reduced to eight in championship fights because the general feeling is that women boxing has failed to attract fans purely because bouts end quickly.
Ntlanganiso said: “I think the fight fraternity must have a discussion with women so that they tell us exactly what they want. From that discussion we will then be able to move together forward. As BSA we are insisting that all tournaments sponsored by the government must feature two or one women bout.”
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