01 Nov 2021

Botswana Boxing Association (BOBA) held its second interclub tournament in Gaborone on Saturday.

BOBA public relations officer Moitshepi Nkabiti, said the tournament, which featured 28 fights, went well.

“Our boxers showed composure when compared to the previous tournament, their fitness level has gone up as well as technique and skill,” he added.

He said an increase in the number of clubs that took part meant more bouts, adding that he was also impressed with five females who took part in the tournament

Nkabiti was of the view that the players’ performance would keep on improving with each tournament as well as general organisation of their events.

He said if they could have a few more tournaments before the end of the year, it would lead to a good start of 2022.

For his part, national youth team coach, Kamwi Kalundu, indicated that the tournament assisted them to gauge the team’s preparedness.

“We were able to determine their strength and weakness and now we know where to focus our efforts,” he said. Coach Kalundu explained that they started preparations for Lesotho in July, with a week training camp, followed by two weeks camp, adding that they have also incorporated weekend camps in the South and North region since the team is made up of students.

The coach highlighted that boxers from both regions would attend final training camp in Gaborone from mid-November.

“Some players are close to where we want to take them while others are a bit behind, but we will use the remaining month to help them,” he said.

The weekend event was used to prepare and gauge the national youth team’s performance as they get ready for AUSC Region 5 games slated for Lesotho in December.

The coach was optimistic that the team would bring some medals from AUSC games including at least two gold. ENDS