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A WSU student’s decision in 2005 to take up boxing as a means of defence against a schoolyard bully has propelled him to heights far beyond his intentions to use the hobby as a means to stave off unwanted attacks.
Third-year WSU Information Technology student and captain of the Buffalo City Campus boxing team Onke Meyeliseli will be jetting off to Germany on Wednesday 26 July to participate in a 10-day boxing training programme borne out of an agreement penned between Germany’s State of Lower Saxony and the Eastern Cape government.
Hosting and coordinating the international programme will be the Lower Saxony Boxing Federation, which will organise training sessions, mentorship programmes and organize bouts for the boxers.
“I joined boxing at the advice of my parents who encouraged me to join the local club after I’d come home crying and complaining about a boy at school who was bullying me,” said Meyeliseli.
In his short career as an amateur, the East London native has steadily racked up numerous trophies, including being crowed five-time Eastern Cape champion, securing the 2019 Eastern Cape Amateur Boxing Organisation’s (ECABO) Best Male Boxer award, and winning the gold medal at the 2017 University Sports South Africa tournament.
With his talent growing increasingly undoubtable, Meyeliseli’s thoughts about his future prospects in the sport inevitably wonder into the realm of one day turning professional.
“I’ve discussed the issue of going pro at great lengths with my coach and we have agreed that I must first finish my diploma because securing a qualification is of paramount importance. All other issues will then follow after I graduate from the program I’m enrolled in,” he said.
Beyond the physical prowess and technical fighting skills than one gains from the sport, Meyeliseli says the most important lesson he’s solicited from boxing is resilience, humility and discipline.
At instances of extreme provocation, the protégé proudly boasts of his superior levels of control over his emotions and inclinations.
“Boxing has also taught me how to control my anger and shown me there are many other alternatives to fighting. I’m not a fighter, but a boxer,” he said.
Central to the fruition of the programme, together with the other integral stakeholders, is the provincial Department OF Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (DSRAC).
