The boxing success of the Gingxana brothers when they claimed two provincial titles in the space of two weeks shone a light on the sterling work done by rising trainer Lonki Witbooi behind the scenes.
Oyisa and Hlumelo made a bit of history for the Gingxana family when they won the provincial lightweight and junior bantamweight titles with stunning knockouts, with Witbooi plotting their achievements at the Lukhanyo Boxing Club.
Hlumelo, who at 25 is a year older, led the charge when he knocked out Aphiwe Magobiyane in two rounds a fortnight ago in Komani to finally lay his hands on the lightweight belt, which had proven elusive when former champion Siseko Makeleni kept withdrawing from their clash until he was stripped.
Oyisa followed suit by dismantling Athi Klaas in four rounds to win the junior bantamweight version in Peddie at the weekend.
While the spotlight has been on the Gingxana brothers, Witbooi has been producing champions at his gymnasium for a while since he took over the reins in 2021.
A student of the game, who soaked up all the knowledge from his legendary father, Spokes, Lonki has come of age and is seemingly headed for the stars in the business of training boxers.
This has been reflected by the scores of boxers joining his gymnasium with resounding success.
One such boxer is Seymour’s Sharadene Fortuin, who holds the SA women’s bantamweight title.
While she has been a victim of inactivity like all her peers, Fortuin has remained loyal to Witbooi after her gym-hopping, which even took her to Limpopo.
“I am happy to train at Lukhanyo, and the attention we are given as boxers is top-notch,’ she said.
Fortuin returned to the ring after more than two years of inactivity to retain her crown by outsmarting Thema Zuma to a points decision victory in Cape Town in December.
The win convinced Ground Up Promotions to add her to its growing roster of fighters, with inactivity appearing to be a thing of the past.
Besides Fortuin, another boxer who has found a home at Lukhanyo after also a nomadic life is once-promising Duncan Villager Athenkosi Thongwana, who holds the provincial junior flyweight title.
Thongwana, who once held world practitioner Siyakholwa Kuse to a draw, fell short of adding the SA title to the club when he was stopped in 11 rounds by Siseko Teyisi in December.
Despite this, he remains confident of finally winning the national title with Witbooi behind him.
“I think I have found a perfect home to realise my boxing dream,” he said before the Teyisi fight.
Former two-time SA champion Aphiwe Mboyiya also received a new lease of life under Witbooi’s tutelage by winning the provincial junior welterweight title, which has propelled him to a national title shot.
Witbooi, whose close-knit family-like relationship with his boxers is unrivalled, admitted that his club might be one of the few with four provincial champions in its stable.
He credited his working relations with experienced managers such as Mla Tengimfene and promoters Pepzin Promoters, which contributed to his deep passion for boxing.
However, he repelled the attention from him, opting to credit the fighters for sticking to the strategies he designed for them for their success.
“For instance, I was impressed by how Oyisa followed our game plan to the T against Klaas,” he said.
“This is the cornerstone of every bout because each trainer comes with a strategy, but it’s up to the fighter to implement it.”
Unlike other trainers who let success go to their heads and cloud their judgment into thinking their fighters are ready to conquer the world, Witbooi remains grounded as he does not want to rush his boxers into big fights before they are fully developed.
This is the cornerstone of every bout because each trainer comes with a strategy, but it’s up to the fighter to implement it
— Lonki Witbooi
He has insisted that the Gingxana brothers, who are unbeaten, will not be rushed into SA title shots as yet, as he wants to polish the rough edges first.
“There is no rush for them until they are ready,” he said.
“We do not just want to challenge for SA titles for the sake of it, but win them, so we must be ready when that time comes, but for now, we want them to keep defending their titles to get proper seasoning.”
But if the future projection is anything to go by, Lukhanyo, which translates to bright future, is set to cement itself among the top boxing clubs in the country.
Daily Dispatch
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