Over the weekend of 13-15 July, Siphosethu Daweti travelled to Mpumalanga to take part in the National Boxing Championships, competing in the finals of her weight class. Having trained in East London from 28 to 29 June, Daweti went into the Championships full of confidence.
Dewitt’s first match of the weekend was on Thursday 12 July, against a strong fighter representing KwaZulu Natal. She fought off her opponent well, in a tough bought, and made her way into the semi finals. These were set to take place the following day, allowing Daweti little time to recover from her previous match.
On Friday 13 July, Daweti squared up against the best that Gauging had to offer in a match which lasted three rounds. After dominating the bought in all aspects, Daweti triumphed over her opponent by 3-0 in rounds, booking a her place in the finals of the National Championships for 2018.
Despite being matched against the the very powerful and well-known representative from Limpopo, Daweti managed to dominate the final match of the weekend. Although her opponent had both the size and power advantage over her, Daweti used her skills and knowledge to win the fight in the first round.
“Boxing is a very disciplined sport,” said Daweti. She believes that girls should be able to play any sport they want to, and wants other female athletes to see where sport can take them. “Being women, when you are not doing anything, you end up mixing yourself up with bad things,” said Daweti; adding, “at least if you are involved in sport, you can end up getting a career.”
Doughty is currently preparing to challenge the world in Germany, where she will represent South Africa against some of the best female boxers from around the world. She will be leaving on 27 July, and will look to dominate as she has done at home.
Photo: Lindani Donyeli
