Latest news with #OlympicBoxing
The Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald
Nelson Mandela Bay Boxing grooming international stars
'Instead of rushing our boxers to turn pro, we decided to keep them in open boxing [formerly known as amateur] to groom them to greater heights,' Vumazonke said. He said there was notable success and staying power in boxers who were groomed and competed in Olympic-style boxing. He mentioned the likes of Masibulele 'Hawk' Makepula, Jeffery Mathebula, Bongani Mwelase, Jackson Chauke and recently JJ Sonjica, who spent time as amateurs competing at a high level and eventually won national and international titles when they turned professional. 'Internationally, great amateurs like Vasily Lomachenko, the Ukrainian IBF and IBO lightweight titlist and multiple middleweight champion of the world, Gennady 'Triple G' Golovkin of Kazakhstan, became world beaters at the professional level.' According to Vumazonke, in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, professional boxers were allowed to compete and many unfortunately did not make it to the semifinals and finals. That said much about how the Olympic-style boxing countries of the world were pushing, he said. Vumazonke said Lusizi, Soga and Magwa might be discarding their vests. Nelson Mandela Bay is grooming 18-year-old Oyisa Wanga, from KwaNobuhle in Kariega. Wanga won a gold medal in the 2025 Africa Youth Games held in Namibia. The Herald
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Nicola Adams admits her ex Ella Baig's career on x-rated site put a strain on their relationship as she reveals what it's like co-parenting son Taylor, 3, following their surprise split
Nicola Adams has admitted that her ex-girlfriend Ella Baig 's career on an x-rated site put a strain on their relationship as she revealed what it's like co-parenting their son. The Olympic boxing hero, 42, split with model Ella, 27, earlier this year after seven years together. The couple began dating in 2018 after meeting each other on a night out and they subsequently opted to use fertility treatments in order to have their first and only child, with the egg fertilised by a sperm donor who resembled Ella. Ella carried the baby and gave birth a month early via caesarean section - with their son Taylor being born in July 2022. Following their split, Nicola admitted that Ella's career on OnlyFans put a strain on their relationship, saying: 'I have always been incredibly supportive of Ella's career and the choices she has made, including her work on OnlyFans.' She added: 'However, as much as I respect what she does, I can't deny that it has had an impact on our relationship.' Speaking to the Daily Mail, Nicola has revealed how it can be challenging have a break-up in the public eye - but insisted she and Ella have a good relationship when it comes to co-parenting Taylor, three. 'Co-parenting has been really good, because our son's always at the top of it,' she said. 'It's always difficult doing breakups, especially when you're in the public eye - and it's not something that you always you want to be public. 'But I guess once you've been [in the public eye] it always ends up being that way... but we've navigated that quite well.' Nicola continued: 'I've always believed in handling things with respect and maturity, and we shared a lot of good memories together, and I'll always be grateful for the good times. 'And I guess the main thing is our son now, and we see ourselves as, like, pretty good co parents. I think... I feel like we've got good co parenting girls here. I'm just happy that he's happy, and it hasn't really affected him that much.' Nicola has been supporting a Health Equals campaign highlighting the scale of toxic air across England, Scotland and Wales. The campaign has found that 12 million children are at risk of serious, long-term health problems, from asthma and other lung conditions to increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Nicola revealed that she was motivated to get involved in the campaign as clean air is a basic human right. She also said that as a mother, the risk posed to her son's health as a result motivated her to take action. 'My son's my son's health is my top priority,' she said. 'And like any Mum, I want to, I want to know that the air he breathes is safe, whether he's walking to school or playing outside.' Nicola has been supporting a Health Equals campaign highlighting the scale of toxic air across England, Scotland and Wales It is also one of many reasons that Nicola admitted has made her protective, as she added: 'I think definitely since becoming a mother I'm a lot more... a lot more protective - and I think about safety issues more as well with my son.' But the former Olympian loves motherhood, she said, adding: Honestly, it's just been a really incredible journey. And nothing really compares to that feeling of raising a little human and seeing the world through their eyes. 'Of course it's fun as well. It's not easy. I mean, at least now I don't have the training camps, but I have the sleepless nights. It's definitely something that it brings me lots, lots of, lots of joy, and I wouldn't change it for the world.' Nicola confirmed earlier this year that Ella's career as an OnlyFans model, which included posing nude snaps and engaging in explicit chat, put a strain on their relationship. The boxer and the model ended their romance in March despite attempting to resolve any potential differences via couples' therapy. Confessing they have both been to therapy she added: 'Right now, we're navigating this as openly and honestly as possible, with the priority being our little boy.' Nicola also explained the split has been a gradual process and they tried months of therapy before calling it quits. She explained that after the therapy sessions, both separately and together, they tried to heal their trauma but then decided it would be easier to split. Yet the star made it clear that future dating isn't on her mind right now and she isn't looking for a rebound but would rather just focus on her work and being a mum. Speaking at the time of their split a spokesman for Nicola said: 'Nicola and Ella have shared an incredible journey together, full of love, growth, and resilience. 'After much thoughtful reflection and important therapy work, they have made the difficult decision to separate. 'Their priority remains their son, Taylor, and they are committed to co-parenting with love and respect.'
Daily Mail
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Reform's Olympic mayor Luke Campbell is 'at war' with his staff: Boxing champ, 37, demands officials quit as row explodes over first-class train tickets
Reform UK's Olympic boxing champion mayor has gone to war with staff over claims they are 'blocking' his agenda. Luke Campbell, who won gold for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics, is embroiled in a vicious row at Hull and East Yorkshire combined authority. The 37-year-old pugilist-turned-politician reportedly demanded five staff at the council to resign last week over the internal stand-off. Mr Campbell, who was elected as the regional inaugural mayoral contest in May, claims workers have been deliberately undermining his work to roll out his policies. He has accused civil servants - who were reportedly working from home - of trying to 'get paid a fortune and do as little as possible'. But his comments have sparked a vitriolic war of words, with Mr Campbell facing accusations of trying to book first-class train tickets on expenses, staging an office move without following council rules and creating a 'toxic working environment'. The mayor - seen as one of Nigel Farage's party's poster boys - is the latest Reform politician to stumble into difficulties following the group's historic election victory, which saw them claim 12 council areas and two mayoral authorities. Former Olympian Mr Campbell - who has previously posed with a gloved-up Mr Farage in a boxing ring - says his work has been frustrated over the past three months by local bureaucrats. One insider told the Daily Telegraph staff had clashed with the mayor over his 'one-man band' approach to politics, which has sparked friction in his council HQ. According to the paper, the simmering row reached a head on Wednesday when the mayor allegedly demanded the resignation of five senior officials. Three of them have reportedly been put on gardening leave after announcing they would be quitting. It's unclear whether the two others reportedly told to leave have resigned. Mr Campbell is believed to have butted heads with officials shortly after taking office, following an allegation he tried to claim first-class train tickets on expenses. The claim - denied by Reform UK - would have been in breach of government rules. However, the row led to a review by an independent remuneration panel, which later clarified in a recommendation that he could only claim for standard class travel. Things escalated further when Mr Campbell took 'huge issue' after he was told his ambition to hire Reform digital strategist Jack Anderton, 23, and ex-UKIP official Robin Hunter-Clarke, to serve as political advisers had been barred. The pair assisted him in his campaign to become mayor. However, under local government rules, campaigners and employees from political parties are not allowed to serve in such 'politically restricted' roles. Bantamweight boxing ace Mr Campbell - who was born locally in Hull - was reportedly so frustrated at the decision, that he is now seeking to create two entirely new roles within the authority in a bid to bring the men into his team. The final straw that caused the row to go nuclear is believed to have came last month, when Mr Campbell decided to find a new office building to replace the temporary arrangement used by the mayoral authority since it was established. He opted to shift his team to a modern block at 2 Humber Quays on the banks of the Humber after reportedly telling council officials he had negotiated a 'discount' with the building's owner. However, staff railed against the move and claimed he had failed to follow council guidance and complete the necessary paper work. They also demanded the mayoral team should move into a cheaper former council building instead. However, those close to the mayor claimed he was enraged that his plan had been snared in bureaucratic red tape and staff who appeared to be firmly against him. Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Campbell claimed he 'didn't feel like they were doing a good enough job', as he took aim at some of his senior civil servants. 'They don't know the region and didn't put any effort in, thus blocking my agenda. The rest of the team I've got a fantastic relationship with,' he told the paper. 'It's only these civil servants that are coming in from all over the country that think they can run the show, get paid a fortune and do as little as possible that I have an issue with.'
National Post
01-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Boxer Imane Khelif breaks silence over IOC's new rules to protect women
Article content Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif spoke out after the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry announced policies to ' protect the female category ' at future games. Article content Khelif, 26, won the gold medal in the women's 66 kg division at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the Algerian's victory was marred by controversy over reports that she allegedly failed gender eligibility tests, resulting in the athlete being one of two competitors — the other, Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting — barred from the 2023 World Championships. Article content Article content Article content Khelif has maintained that she is female, and not transgender, but a recently leaked medical report summarized the findings on the boxer as 'abnormal,' stating: 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype.' Article content While there have been calls for Khelif to return the gold medal, Coventry said in her announcement last month that despite the rules change, the boxer would be allowed to keep her Olympic title. Article content However, the boxer took to Instagram to share a selfie and defiant message: 'Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.' Article content The Olympian also included lyrics from Sia's song 'I'm Still Here,' which speaks of perseverance and survival, in the post that has since been deleted. Article content Article content 'It was fully agreed that as members that, as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on protection of the female category,' Coventry said in the livestreamed meeting, according to Fox News. Article content 'But it was fully agreed that as members that, as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on the protection of the female category,' Coventry continued. Article content 'We have to do that to ensure fairness. And we have to do it with a scientific approach. And with the inclusion of the international federations who have done a lot of work in that area.' Article content Khelif's boxing future remains uncertain. Article content World Boxing, which has since been recognized by the IOC as the sport's international federation, has introduced mandatory sex testing and said Khelif would not be able to compete in the female category and defend her Olympic title until she undergoes the test. Article content
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Imane Khelif speaks out after Olympic gender test bombshell
Imane Khelif, the Olympic boxer who was at the centre of controversy surrounding her gender and her gold medal boxing victory at the Paris Olympics, has spoken out for the first time after the International Olympic Committee announced new rules to 'protect the female category' in Olympic sports. Questions about Khelif's gender popped up during her run to Olympic boxing gold last summer, stemming from a failed test result from a gender eligibility test she took that barred her from the 2023 World Championships, the NY Post reports. Khelif appeared to respond to the IOC decision days ago to form a working group that will be tasked with safeguarding women's sports, and the new IOC policy is expected to ban transgender athletes as well as those with differences of sexual development from taking part in the female category. In a post on Monday, Khelif wrote in an Instagram Story, ​​'Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.' The post also included the song 'I'm Still Here' by Sia. Khelif was assigned female at birth and is not transgender, but faced questions about her gender during the Olympics, causing some to question the fairness of the boxer to compete in the sport's female category during the Paris Games. She has faced calls for her to be stripped of her gold medal recently, which included the president of the International Boxing Association. The controversy was brought back into the spotlight earlier this month as well, after 3 Wire Sports published leaked test results from 2023, which appeared to show she had male XY chromosomes. New International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry said during her first meeting that there would be no action taken 'retrospectively' in regards to past results that were in question. It was during that same meeting that Coventry announced her plan to have the IOC address the issue of transgender athletes competing in female sports. 'It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this,' Coventry said during the livestreamed meeting, according to The Guardian. 'And that we should be the ones to bring together the experts and the international federations and ensure that we find consensus. 'We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that as members that, as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on protection of the female category.'
