Bongani Mwelase (born 23 August 1982) is a South African former boxer who became the 2006 Commonwealth amateur champion at welterweight.
Amateur
The hard-punching southpaw failed to qualify for the 2004 Athens Games by ending up in third place at the
2nd AIBA African 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament
The 2nd AIBA African 2004 Olympic Boxing Qualifying Tournament was held in Gaborone, Botswana from March 15 to March 22, 2004. It was the second and last chance for amateur boxers from Africa to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics after the 2003 ...
in
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
,
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
. He won the Commonwealth boxing championships in Glasgow 2005 and the Commonwealth Games 2006. In the final 2006 he beat
Vijender Singh
Vijender Singh Beniwal (born 29 October 1985) is an Indian professional boxer and politician. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. He also won bronze medals ...
who received a standing 8 count 33–26. He is South Africa's first black Commonwealth boxing champion.
Pro
He is undefeated 10–0 as a pro but was knocked down twice by Lucky Lewele in his South African title win, his first 12-round bout.
He retired from boxing in 2011, citing exploitation and racism by promotors who mistreated black boxers.
References
External links
Commonwealth 2006*
1982 births
Living people
Welterweight boxers
Boxers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for South Africa
South African male boxers
Commonwealth Games medallists in boxing
Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
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