Mikia Kalati
A one-time boxing poster boy, Mokhachane Moshoeshoe is out to reclaim his place after his inclusion in the boxing team that will represent the country at the upcoming Gold Coast Commonwealth games.
The games will be held in Australia between 4 to 15 April this year.
The 26-year old boxer represented Lesotho in the same multi-sport tournament in 2010 and 2014 before losing his place to the likes of Moroke Mokhotho and the late Inkululeko Suntele, who represented the country at the African Championship in Cameroon and the Olympics games in Brazil last year.
In an interview this week, Moshoeshoe said being out in the cold and seeing his colleagues hog the limelight for the right reasons motivated him to work hard and fight for his place in the Lesotho team.
“Yes, it was not a good feeling when I was not part of the team that went to the Olympics. The fact that other guys did better and ended up winning scholarships, gave them that edge over me,” Moshoeshoe said.
“While the attention was on my colleagues, that motivated me to work harder and wait for my time because anything is possible. As I worked hard, I knew there was a chance that I can reclaim my place.”
He is happy that his hard work has paid off. “I am happy to have such an opportunity to prove myself again as a more skilled boxer. I want to make my country proud by winning a medal at the Commonwealth games,” he said.
The boxer, who has since moved from 64kg and now fights in the category of 69kg, says he is looking at finally making his dream of competing at the Olympic Games, in addition to becoming professional, coming true.
“I have my sights on Tokyo Olympics to achieve my dream of competing at a higher platform such as the Olympic Games, and also turning professional around the same time.”
The boxer also thanked the boxing association for giving him another opportunity to do what he loves most, adding that his coach, Sibusiso Keketsi, never gave up on him.
Keketsi also coaches the national boxing team.
Also speaking to the Lesotho Times this week, Lesotho Amateur Boxing Association (LeBA) public relations officer, Katiso Tšenoli, said they had a headache in selecting the five boxers for the Commonwealth Games team.
He further explained that Moshoeshoe was among those to the occasion with fine displays in the tournaments leading to the selection of the team.
“If you remember, in the last two years, boxing had a lot of challenges, but since the new committee came on board, we held several competitions and Moshoeshoe was among those that had displayed good performances,” Tšenoli said.
“We did not take him based only on his past reputation, but went through several tournaments as part of identifying the best boxers to take to the Commonwealth games.
He said intensive preparations for the Australia Tourney continues to ensure excellent performance.
