SENTILE’S DREAM

Star UWC boxer Asemahle Sentile is getting closer to his Olympic aspirations

By Myolisi Gophe

When Asemahle Sentile was young, his father used to tease him with the nickname “Softie” as he believed he was too soft-hearted. To prove he could also be a “tough boy” and make his dad proud, he joined a boxing club where his older brother was already a member.

Since then, Sentile’s ability in the sport has not only proven that he can be tough, but has also opened final team to represent South Africa at the qualifiers, scheduled to take place in Paris, France.

“Every boy would want to make his dad proud,” the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology student says. “Having seen how proud my father was and how he reacted when my brother’s coach used to tell him how a boxing tournament had gone, I decided to follow suit.”

After he joined the club in his neighbourhood of Site C in

plenty of new opportunities for the athlete. Just this past month, he was named as one of only two boxers from the Western Cape to make the South African National Boxing Organisation’s (SANABO) elite squad for the World Olympic Qualifiers. The squad was selected following trials that were held in Durban in December 2020 and are set to attend a training camp in due course. There, only the best of the best will be chosen for the

Khayelitsha, he won his first bout and was named boxer of the tournament in just his second match. Sentile quickly ditched the other sporting codes he was involved with, such as football, rugby and cricket, to focus on boxing. And his dedication and commitment have paid off as he’s been a Western Cape champion in different categories since 2009, as well as the current titleholder for Under-57 kg.

It was these impressive achievements that made the Western Cape Boxing Organisation entrust Sentile and three other boxers to represent the province at the SANABO trials, despite the fact that no events or training had taken place during the many lockdown levels. “Last year was very difficult for many of us as students because we are not used to e-learning but we had to adapt. At the same time, my coach (Ginger Mapasa at the Khayelitsha Boxing Academy) was pushing me to prepare for the trials, too,” says Sentile.

In preparation for the trials, Sentile has been training at the UWC gymnasium, the boxing academy and with other pro boxers across Cape Town – which has given him the edge he required to win his first two bouts at Dundee against opponents from the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Unfortunately, Sentile lost his final match, against a Gauteng boxer, via split decision – but was still chosen for the national team trials. “The organisers felt both of us have the potential to be in the national team, so we were both selected for the trials where our characters will be tested further,” he says.

The selection has put Sentile on the verge of realising his dream: representing his country. “This means a lot to me. If 2020 was a mess, this was a blessing. For most people, including me, last year was a disaster – until that magical moment I could fight.

“It’s been one of my dreams to compete at that level.”

His resilience seems to know no bounds, and he credits it all to UWC, which he says has helped him further develop in both his sport and academics. “I think I have all the resources I need; everything I need from the University, from my coach and from my teammates. I know I have what it takes to come back with a gold medal in the qualifiers, or even the Olympics. I train Mondays to Sundays and the University has assigned me a personal trainer to help with strength and conditioning.

“I remember when I was in high school, our coach’s motto was ‘Use boxing to educate yourself’. I almost signed a professional contract during my gap year in 2015 because I was training with pro boxers and getting offers that were difficult to refuse. But I knew from a young age that our coach was against turning professional while still young as you wouldn’t get the opportunity to get funding at the university level.

“This has been a blessing as I now know it’s important to have both a sporting and academic background to secure your future.”

He cites Phumlani Nkqetho as an example. “He [Phumlani] is the one who encouraged me to apply at UWC. Going to university had not even been on my radar until he told me of his studies at UWC. Seeing him achieve that meant it was possible for me, too.”

As a result, Sentile received a sport bursary for his studies at the University. “Part of what I’m doing is majoring in psychology, which is all about the mind. And boxing is a chess game; it’s a mind game. So both have taught me how to resolve conflicts, how to distance myself and how to be a better human being.”