She would have loved to fight more often this year just like it was the case when she had four fights in 2021, however she was not that lucky this time around.
And reigning South African female flyweight champion Simangele ‘Smash’ Hadebe would have had a very big birthday celebration had it not been for lack of fights.
The 2023 Female Boxer of the Year award winner’s only fight this year was a points win over Thai boxer Phannaluk Kongsang at the Unisa Hall in Johannesburg in May.
“Being inactive is not nice. I trained very hard without getting fights. I signed for a fight only for it to be postponed and then cancelled. I hope that if I sign again then the fight won’t be postponed or cancelled. Maybe I will get an international fight or defend my SA title,” Hadebe said.
Hadebe, who celebrated her 30th birthday on Thursday, was due to have fought against Mexican boxer Melissa Meraz Rodriguez in August. The World Boxing Council (WBC) International female flyweight title contest got postponed to September and then later cancelled.
The lack of fights might even affect Hadebe in as far as nominations for the South African Boxing Awards are concerned.
“There’s quite a number of female boxers who were active this year. I will definitely miss out on being nominated because of lack of activity,” Hadebe remarked.
