23 Jan 2025

Fists are expected to fly thick and fast as the first interclub tournament as the Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) calendar kicks off over the weekend in Gaborone.

Hosted by newly formed Gaborone based youthful Diamond Boxing Club, the year opener is expected to attract top drawer bouts in an outdoor set up at Game City Mall ground floor terrace.

Speaking in an interview, BoBA secretary general Taolo Tlouetsile said the tournament was coming at an opportune moment as the association was bracing to participate in regional and continental championships pencilled for this year.

The association is working round the clock to assemble a team that would travel to Mozambique and contest in the Africa Boxing Confederation (AFBC) Zone IV elite men and women championships on the last weekend of February.

Hot on the heels of last year’s national championships, Botswana was to take part in the tournament in Maputo but pulled off owing to political unrest in Mozambique. The tournament was rescheduled to February.

Tlouetsile said the weekend’s tournament would also gauge the strength of the youth team expected to participate in the winter Africa Union Sports Commission Region 5 games.

On Saturday, all eyes will be on the much anticipated and undoubtedly explosive 48kg clash between national champion Ofentse Kelosiwang and DTCB’s hard hitting Kobamelo Molatlhegi. The latter watched in disbelief last year in the final bout of the national championships when Kelosiwang was crowned champion after an emphatic 4-1 victory over him.

A tricky encounter will follow in the men’s flyweight where Rajab Mohammed lies in wait for his bitter rival Motlamedi Segogwane of Prisons boxing club.

Another mouth-watering clash is a featherweight battle between George Molwantwa and Mmoloki Sekwaipe. The latter is well aware of what lies ahead of him after Molwantwa’s dull perforfmance in the national championships, which handed him the gold medal.

Other boxers expected to impress at the tournament are middleweight boxer Mmusi Tswiige, 60kg hard hitting pugilist Kago Raokgwathile and Phekie Bele in the women’s 47kg division. ENDS