03 Dec 2020

Those who have been following Onkarabile 'Scara' Mothibedi from amateur boxing always had confidence that he will emerge Botswana’s first  International WBF Super Bantamweight Champion.

Although he was an underdog, Mothibedi won a 12-round bout against favorite Tshepang 'Gearbox' Babui recently.

The two met in a  World Boxing Federation (WBF) International Super Bantamweight title, but two weeks before the big day, no one knew where Mothibedi was. He did not attend any gym room nor went for training with other boxers as usual.

This was a deliberate move by his team since they wanted to take him out of the media and public in order to concentrate on the big day.

He admitted during the interview that nobody gave him a chance. He, however, said a lot of work was done to keep him fit and focused for the bout.

“I remember during our press conference how my opponent intimidated me. Of course as a person I was a little bit disturbed, but I took out my anger on him during the big day,” he said.

According to Scara, the win did not come cheap, given that a lot of factors contributed to his achievement.

“I have a very supportive team, my coach, manager, supporters and my family, and you know what made me to even push harder was the fact that, during break I could hear people saying my opponent should finish me off, well I stood my ground,” he said.

According to the International Super Bantamweight champion, his victory was water under the bridge sincehe was now focusing on defending his title.

His manager, Isaac Pheko said the win mean a lot for Botswana boxing in general, given that boxing in this country was work in progress.

He said the WBF international belt was a clear indication that there was a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone including, promoters, boxers, managers and other stakeholders.

“As for our stable, which is called Top 10, we are still growing, and is a small stable, we don’t even have a gym, and therefore this win mean a lot for us and it is an honour,” he said.

Talking about preparations, he said they were very strict, and he had a special trainer who was working with him in all the areas. ENDS

BOPA