South African sportsman of the year for 2019 Moruti Mthalane prides himself on hard work. He also carries the confidence that every world champion has, but does not hide the anxiety that pressure brings when he steps into the ring.
Mthalane is currently in his second reign as the International Boxing Federation flyweight champion. When he started out 19 years ago, he would not have been tipped as a prospect to succeed on the world stage with an amateur career record that stood at 35 wins and 35 losses.that at an amateur level, he lost so many fights because he was still learning the art of boxing and figuring out new techniques.His two losses came in 2004 and 2008.
A year later his next fantasy became reality when he was back in South Africa to win his first IBF title. Mthalane’s first championship reign was marred by pay disputes and inactivity, as he struggled to find fights to defend his title, which eventually led to the IBF revoking his belt. It was a point in his career where he could have thrown in the towel, but he stuck with those in his corner to help him get back up. It’s no wonder Mthalane pays tribute to his former coach, the late Nick Durandt, and his current coach Colin Lathan.
Lathan’s coaching guided Mthalane back to gold in 2018, and it would be the best year of his career, defending his title around Asia.
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