Professional boxing attracts top locals

Local boxers who will fight in the professional boxing ring for the first time in October this year are ecstatic about the prospect of trading blows for profit and possibly becoming future world champions.
For talented pugilists Gomotsang Gaasite and Moabi Mothiba, fighting in the professional ring without a vest and protective headgear will be a dream come true. Gaasite, Mothiba and Mmoloki Nogeng have represented the country countless times as part of Botswana’s national team. The veteran amateur boxers also come to the professional ring with a wealth of experience after competing in over 300 amateur bouts between them.
For light welterweight contender Gaasite, the October 5 date cannot come soon enough for him to face Zimbabwean boxer Last Magari in a four round bout at the Cresta Lodge in Gaborone.  The professional boxing event is being held under the auspices of a start up company Bond Boxing Promotions. “I was happy to receive the offer to fight in this competition. It is not even about money at this stage. I still love boxing,” said the retired former amateur boxing champion Gaasite, who is still in negotiations with Bond Promotions on the offer. He says he has been active in the gym despite being retired.
This event will be important to local boxers as they have wanted to turn professional for a long time and there   were no structures to support them. Gaasite is currently an amateur boxing coach at the Francistown Boxing Club. He has over 100 amateur fights and has represented the country as an amateur from 2005 to 2010.
Middleweight contender Moabi Mothiba will fight in his professional bout on 7th September in Windhoek, Namibia also under Bond Promotions. After the fight, Mothiba will face Zimbabwe’s Nicola Mutonora as one of the headline fights for the October 5th event. “My fight in Namibia will be in preparation for the October fight,” he said. The 31-year old said things have been difficult for local boxers who had to fight in South Africa when they turned professional. The October boxing event will also see four more bouts featuring local boxers. Some of the fights will see Mmoloki Nogeng face Tebogo Kagiso in their lightweight professional debut fight. In the bantamweight division, Tefo Letshikgwane will face Boitumelo Taolo while the flyweight bout will feature Kgomotso Bok and Onkabetse Mookodi. In the final bout, Kebonethebe Maboana will face Thato Moanabana.
Bond Ngubula, the budding boxing promoter responsible for the October professional bouts told BG Sport that the Cresta Lodge fight night will be graced by the special guest status of sports minister Shaw Kgathi, adding that he was planning to host another boxing explosion event in Maun, which could feature well-known local professional boxers such as Leslie Sekotswe and Hebert Nkabiti. Although BG Sport is informed that even national team coach  Ikgopoleng could return to the ring as a professional boxer, he denied the allegation, saying he was content with his current status. “It is too late   for me to return, I am fully committed to coaching the national team,” he said.