NEW DELHI: Some of the elite women boxers have assembled here for the biggest bouts of their lives. Of the lot, there are just a few teams from Africa — Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Congo, Burundi, Nigeria and Mozambique. Somalia also had a representative in the form of the inspirational Ramla Ali, but she crashed out on the first day. Boxers from Sierra Leone were expected, but they didn’t turn up.
Mozambique women are quietly seated in one corner of the player’s hall. There’s a hint of nervousness about them. That’s understandable, given that they are making their debut. Also, in the history of the World Championships, Europeans and Asians have dominated the competition. On Day 5, there was only one survivor from Africa — Morocco’s Zohra Ez-Zahraoui.
The gap in class is primarily due to economy and also the culture. According to Mozambique coach Lucas Sunoia Januario, African women are not encouraged to take up the sport. “It’s a first for the country and a big opportunity for me. There are many other countries in Africa who would like to have this experience. I’m here to play for everyone from the continent,” said Gramane Rady Adosinda, whose campaign ended later in the day.
Nevertheless, to get off the mark with a win in the preliminaries was a big moment for her. “I was delighted. A lot of us carry a feeling that we can’t compete against top teams. But after I beat my opponent (an Uzbek boxer), I got that belief that everything is possible. That victory was not for me for all of Africa.”
Alcinda Panguana (69 kg) had also managed to beat her opponent on Friday before losing her second fight on Sunday. Lucas, who represented Mozambique in the 1988 and 1996 Olympics, was delighted. “We know this is a very tough competition. There are lots of good boxers. But we gave a good account of themselves.” he said.
Surviving with basic facilities, the coach said that they just about managed funds to meet their travel expenses, with the help of their federation. “We are yet to clear dues for accommodation. We are banking on the federation to transfer the money soon,” the coach revealed. For Benilde Macaringue (51 kg), it was a big learning curve.
The referee stopped the contest as she was struggling to cope with big blows from her rival. All of them are students. The trio’s parents also had apprehensions initially. But after much insistence, they gave in to their choice. “They were totally against the idea. After pleading for long, telling them that we can get good opportunities with the team, they agreed,” Gramane, 23, said. Despite odds, two wins against well-placed rivals was a good first impression.