Botswana Boxing Association (BOBA) has sent three boxers to participate at the 2025 IBA Men’s Elite World Championships which commenced on Tuesday this week and expected to end on December 13 in Dubai.
The trio include Kagiso Keorapetse (54kg) from Titans Boxing Club, Ribbin Modise (52kg) from Prisons Boxing Club and Kobamelo Molatlhegi (49kg) from DTC Boxing Club. They are under the tutelage of Chonga Ntoti of Francistown Boxing Club and Tanaka Rauwe from Prisons Boxing Club.
In an interview, BOBA Public Relations Officer Kabelo Seleka said the competition is one of the biggest platforms in world boxing, giving athletes global exposure, world rankings opportunity, experience against elite opponents, and a chance to compete for part of the historic USD 8 million prize.
According to Seleka, the selection of the team was based on performance at national competitions including the 2025 National Championships, consistency and technical ability throughout the season. He added the selection criterion was also based on weight-category, readiness, coach assessments and camp evaluations.
When assuring the team’s readiness, Seleka pointed out that the team has just completed the National Championships, which means they are coming off peak in a competitive form, while the coaches reported strong physical and mental readiness. He stated that the team has been in intensive training camp few days prior, focusing on conditioning, sparring, and tactical refinement.
The World Championships is composed of significant prizes on offer with $300,000 for first place in a weight category, $150,000 for second, $75,000 for third and $10,000 for fourth.
Meanwhile, BOBA has recently announced the team that will represent Botswana at the Africa Youth Games, scheduled for 10–20 December 2025 in Luanda, Angola. The team is made up of four male and female boxers.
The female boxers include Palesa Robert (60kg) of Glen Valley Boxing Club and Portia Keitumetse Phefo (51kg) from Titans Boxing Club, while the male boxers comprises of Samuel Mogolodi (50kg) from Prisons Boxing Club and Kagiso Letsholo (55kg) from 1 2 5 Boxing Club)
The team is under the tutelage of David Kemoitsholetse as Head Coach while Grace Mmolai has been appointed Assistant Coach / Team Manager).
