Lesotho boxers set for Bahamas

Olympian Moroke Mokhotho will be headed to the Commonwealth Youth Games

Lesotho will have four boxers at the Commonwealth Youth Games which will be held in June in the Bahamas.

The boxers are Olympians Moroke Mokhotho and Inkululeko Suntele as well as young prospects Phomolo Lengola and Tlholohelo Mokhesi.

Mokhotho competes in the 52 kilogram weight class while Suntele boxes in the 56 kg division. Lengola and Mokhesi, meanwhile, are both in the 49 kg weight class.

Lengola and Mokhesi took part in the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games for Under-21 athletes that were held in Angola in December. Mokhesi returned with a bronze medal from the games and the duo is viewed amongst the country’s most promising boxing prospects.

Mokhotho and Suntele, on the other hand, were part of Lesotho’s team at the 2016 Olympic Games last August and they will be making their first international appearances since Rio when they compete in the Bahamas.

The team plans to go to Botswana in March to fine-tune before they head to the Commonwealth Youth Games.

The boxers started their training on January 2 and are slated to compete at the Dihlabeng Opening Boxing Tournament in Bethlehem, South Africa next month.

In terms of sponsorship, the four boxers are under the backing of the Lesotho National Olympic Committee but Lesotho Boxing Association public relations officer Pheello Sofe appealed to the business community to support the team and local boxing.