The women’s WBF bantamweight world champion, Bukiwe “Anaconda” Nonina, is not happy with the treatment that women’s boxing is getting in the country currently.
Nonina is one of the three Female Boxer of the Year nominees at the South African Boxing Awards to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Friday evening. She’s up against SA bantamweight champion Mellissa Miller and Smangele “Smash” Hadebe.
Nonina has won this award for the past two years, but when it comes to opportunities to fight especially locally she hasn’t been that fortunate.
Nonina last fought in August last year, when she was defending her title, she is also running the risk of being stripped by the sanctioning body should she struggle to secure a fight.
But she remains hopeful that she could be fighting in July, overseas of course.
Nonina is lined-up to fight Terri Harper for the vacant IBO world female featherweight title on the 19th of July this year at the Magna Centre in Rotheram, England.
As Boxing South Africa (BSA) stages the awards on Friday, these are the realities that they have to tackled head on.
The women’s sporting industry has been facing a serious challenge in the country, the lack of corporate support.
And boxing is not an exception with most of their women’s events limited to the women’s month (August), Nonina says this needs to change.
In an effort to bring professionalism to her camp, Nonina has roped in a boxing manager who is also helping with matters off the ring.
This has proven to be a challenge with most boxing stables around the country, the stables not taking care of the business off the ring and exposing themselves to different markets.
The well-travelled Nonina, who hails from Dutywa in the Eastern Cape but has been based in Limpopo and North West says the over reliance on government funding affects boxing. – Report by Velile Mnyandu
