A team of 10 boxers left by road on Thursday destined for the Mozambique capital. Setlalekgosi said the most important thing when going to a championship is the mindset, adding the team going to Maputo is in good physical shape but lacks mental readiness.
Setlalekgosi said in boxing, the mindset constitutes 60% and the physical aspect only needs 40%. “Boxing is an individual sport and it is up to you as an individual as to what you want to achieve.
It is up to you to make yourself fit and happy. If you cannot do that, then join a team sport,” he said. Setlalekgosi said they have a problem with boxers who think that for them to be successful they need to train outside the country. “You do not need to travel overseas for training; wherever you are, use the resources you have. Appreciate what life throws at you,” he added.
Setlalekgosi said the team has been in camp for four months and during that period the challenge boxers had has been physiological. He said boxers still find it difficult to believe that they can achieve anything. Setlalekgosi said the boxers have been in the national team for almost 10 years but during Zone IV Championships, they lost to young boxers from Zambia.
He said the Zambian team has never trained outside its country's borders. Boxers’ representative, George Molwantwa said they appreciate everything that BoBA has done for them during preparations but there were some challenges along the way. “It is important for us as boxers to get exposure from outside the country. For us to be the best, we must train with the best.
I appreciate that we have the best in our camp but I feel it is not enough. We need to work with more established people,” he said. Molwantwa said each boxer has their own plan for the championship but they expect to bring medals.
One of the experienced boxers, Rajab Otukile Mahommed who is with the team, told Mmegi Sport he was ready for the Maputo competition. “I competed well during the recent Commonwealth Games.
It was my second time at the games. I have grown as a boxer and I knew the Africa Championships were to follow. I am a former Africa champion that gave me a better ranking and eventually qualified for Tokyo 2020,” he said.
Mahommed said this is another opportunity to work hard and display his talent. “So far I have achieved my dreams. I wanted to qualify for the Olympics, I qualified, I wanted to be an African champion.
I achieved that but the only thing I need now is a medal,” he said. BoBA president, Gilbert Khunwane said the qualifiers for Paris 2024 Olympics starts in January. He said the Africa Boxing Championships are part of the requirements for the qualifiers.
“The continental showpiece is the first step before proceeding to other qualifiers. In May, we are going to have the men’s World Championships and the women’s championships will be in June. The World Championships are the Olympics qualifiers,” he said.
The team in Maputo: Women: Lethabo Modukanele, Phekie Bele, Keamogetse Kenosi and Aratwa Kasemang. Men: Kobamelo Molatlhegi, Molwantwa, Mahommed, Treasure Moremi, Solomon Lere and Mmusi Tswiigi.
