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KNYSNA NEWS - Young boxers at Masiphakame Boxing Club received a welcome boost recently when they were visited by former professional Bahamian boxer Meacher Major. He brought with him new training gear and a wealth of experience, helping with training during his visit.
Major stopped by Masiphakame during a three-day visit to Knysna from 15 to 18 November, and was blown away by what he saw at the boxing club.
"I've never seen such a concentrated, high number of such incredibly talented young boxers in one place, it really is remarkable to see," he said during one of the training sessions at Masiphakame.
"They are all so driven, committed and hard-working. I've never seen it to this extent before, and I've visited gyms around the world."
The Bahamian was a professional boxer for 18 years, pulling the curtains on his lengthy and successful boxing career in 2018. He fought 33 professional bouts during his career and won 24 - 19 of them were knockouts.
He has also grown up in environments where a boxing gym is solely dedicated to boxing and has a ring of its own, something he was surprised not to see in Knysna.
"When I arrived I asked them where their boxing ring was, and they said they didn't have one. This was quite surprising, because how can a boxing club not have a boxing ring? But, it only shows just how hard they work and how much passion they have for the sport, to continue to work and go beyond their means," Major said.
Masiphakame has produced a number of very talented boxers that include district, provincial and national champions.
They are coached by Lwanda Madikane, but the club has also adopted and wholeheartedly and universally embraced the peer coaching concept where the boxers help train one another even when Madikane can't be there.
"They let nothing stop them or get in their way, no matter what they train," Major indicated.
PHOTO GALLERY: Boxers hard work pays off
Emihle Nelson training hard with Meacher Major.
Major, who now lives in the USA, visits a boxing club in Johannesburg every year. But on this occasion, Knysna resident Christian Jacobs managed to convince him to visit Knysna too.
"I personally had a challenging time growing up and know first-hand what difference it makes if you meet somebody that has achieved what you envisage, and that person tells you that you can do it as well, or that you can achieve greater than what he/she did," Jacobs explained.
He only needed to organise accommodation and transport for Major in Knysna, but thanks to sponsors, he could even organise some local activities such as zip lining for Major too.
"A huge thank you to Andrica of the Knysna Elephant Park, Gennaro of Caffe Mario and Meaghan (for providing the vehicle) for your kind sponsorships to this cause," Jacobs said.
A group of boxers from Masiphakame Boxing Club together with Major and some new gear. From left: Emihle Nelson, Meacher Major, Siyamthanda Sam, coach Lwanda Madikane, Likhona Mazele and Athenkosi Bhiyana.
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