Fighting chance: Langa boxer appeals for help ahead of her upcoming match
DETERMINED: Emihle Ntunja, 25
A female boxer from Langa is appealing for help to prepare for her upcoming fight next month.
Emihle Ntunja, 25, is training for her next bout in the Khayelitsha Mew Way Hall on 19 February, where she will go up against Thema Zuma from KwaZulu-Natal.
The development boxing event is being promoted by Jackie Brice Boxing Promotions, who is looking for fresh new talent in the city.
Emihle says this could be her big break but she needs help with supplements and boxing gear.
She is the only professional boxer at the Langa-based Cape Town Youth Boxing Club, which has 20 amateur members.
The struggling fighter wants to make a full-time career out of her talent but says circumstances are against her – she is unemployed and stays in a shack in Langa, while being “plagued by sexual predators”.
The flyweight boxer (52kg or less) says she decided to make a appeal for assistance after she lost a fight in Durban in December due to being undernourished.
All she had to eat prior to the bout was pap, which doesn’t help with muscle building and maintenance.
“Boxing is my life, it is what I am good at and I can do even better with a proper support system, especially with nutrition,” says Emihle.
In September, she won her bout at the Gorilla Sports SA tournament in Claremont.
Her next weigh-in is on 18 February and she says although she is fit and excited for the match, her diet hasn’t improved and she’s afraid she will be knocked out.
Emihle started boxing as an amateur in 2016 and despite her challenges, has had a few national bouts.
She says it’s also a challenge as a female boxer having to join clubs dominated by men.
“As if it’s not hard enough being a female boxer from a struggling background trying to make the most of what you’re good at, you still meet perverts who want to be intimate with you, all in the name of helping you reach your dreams.
“Because of this, I found myself mostly out of the ring because each time it happened, I had to find another gym and while you’re still dealing with the disappointment and trying to move on, you find yourself getting caught up with the wrong crowd.
“But nothing will ever stop me. I am going to fight my way to the top and set a good example for other girls from similar backgrounds as me,” says a determined Emihle.
If you would like to assist, call Emihle at 078 914 9146.