AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 6
Today David interviews Bukiwe “Anaconda” Nonina, a Fighter out of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
Ringside Talk is a show that connects current and old boxers worldwide talking about Boxing – fights – fantasy fights – past fights – current boxing situations and topics in boxing that people love to talk about. We interact with up-and-coming young fighters and talks about their journeys and futures! Managers and coaches’ roles and the ups and downs that people don’t know about!
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Transcribed:
On the former wbf International Super Federal champion and former WPF, all Africa live Channel, [, Music ] good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another another show of ringside talk show with your host David ratuni, sorry for the late today.
Uh to this evening we got a special guest with us all the way from South Africa.
As you guys know, South Africa is going through a hectic time with low shading with the power Cuts, but she’s still did her best to join us this evening.
This evening, I’m going to be speaking to a lady known as the Anaconda with 24 fights more fights than me.
19 wins four of those wins coming by Knockouts four losses and one draw I’m speaking to the five-time sa Women’s Champion, a three-time wbf women’s world champion and the current Abu champion, two-time boxer of the year in South Africa, the one and only Nina.
How are you thank you? How are you doing I’m very good thanks, very good thanks man uh.
Thank you for joining us on this evening.
Um [, Music ].
It’S a lot of have things happening in your country, uh! That’S why we had a little bit of a delay with getting you on here uh.
Thank you for joining us so late this evening and yeah we’re looking forward to speaking to you.
Thank you so much for having me.
Even now, I’m still struggling uh networks and everything because we just got back our electricity, but um, I’m glad to be here.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So yes, man, um.
The reason I got you here.
Even I was speaking to your promoter last week.
She was on my show, Miss Miss choice and uh from tlb promotions, and she was speaking very highly about you.
You know telling uh me and the rest of the people watching about her exciting female star that she’s got uh for kiwe and you know I thought I should have you on the show.
But before we get on to the whole boxing side, um, why don’t you let us know um? Who you are where you come from um, where you grew up.
You know um and yeah, where you found this passion of boxing, especially from as a young girl.
Let’S start at your young young days um, it’s very interesting to be honest because um I I was born in Eastern Cape and the in the village.
That’S where I was born.
I grew up there playing soccer yep.
I grew up there playing soccer then later, when I was um, I was uh uh 17.
I moved to klerksdorp Northwest where my dad was working.
That’S where I started boxing when I was 19.
okay, all my life was playing boxing and my childhood.
Well, I’m sorry! I was playing soccer in my childhood.
I played Financial schools and everything, including I went to banyana, so I I went that far in soccer.
Until I was, I was 19.
when I was 19 when I joined my my my father’s um.
It was 20 2011 when I joined my father’s gym.
So it’s when my career started there, but it was too quick um because I I started as an amateur one year – I10 Pro after a year in my essay titles.
So it was too quick for boxing.
I think I reflected because I grew up playing soccer because I was already in school, yeah wow.
I want to touch back a little bit on your soccer career here.
I hear you said you played provincial uh.
You even did the trials for banyana banyana for you for those that don’t know watching from around the world outside of South Africa is South Africa’s female first team soccer team, the the male is bafana bafana.
The female team is banana banana.
It sounds like you were very uh into sports, very uh driven, you know playing football until you were 19 and you joined your father’s boxing gym now.
Was your father a boxer himself or was it just a trainer or anything? Can you tell us more about that? Um he was a boxer okay.
Then he stopped when I was born 91.
10 Pro 1810 Pro uh.
My first three brothers were also boxers they’re in 10.
Pro my big sister also was a boxer.
She 10 Pro she have four fights, but she quit and then my younger sister also was a boxer.
She turned Pro uh.
She had one fight, so I joined uh them later.
They started boxing when they were young.
I I joined them later, but I was.
I was I was out like I was born in the family of boxing.
Everyone was talking about boxing yeah, but yeah was the only one who went, uh, went out and then played soccer.
So it was easier for me because, if we’re chilling in the house, the only thing that we’re doing is boxing, but I was not into boxing yes and and uh, I hear the whole family.
I don’t hear anything with the mom.
What was mom doing my mom was our number one fan she’s.
Still there you’re still the number one fan.
She she’s, not a fan like a fan, but she always believed in her family.
So that is why she was always there to support us, but she she’s that person who always in church who love church who doesn’t want anything to violence, because she’s always like your father every weekend will come home with a blue eye.
I hated that and then now he made it and I didn’t have a choice I had to because now my kids are in this is so it’s like that.
Okay, very interesting, it sounds like uh.
You grew up in a very interesting household with your sister’s boxing.
Your brother, your father, uh, that must have also built a lot of motivation and inspiration in the in the family.
You know, um you touched on a little bit about your amateur career uh.
You say it was very short how many amateur fights did you have? I I have 12 National games, I lost on Final uh, then I’m a civil medalist in in sa games.
So I got that lost in in that uh fight.
I I it’s not a an excuse.
Me remember in I mean last time I made every week, so I had to fight 60 kg while I’m 25.
.
Oh, so you were fighting.
I was tired and oh so I ended up saying: okay, I’m just going there.
Okay, very interesting, very interesting, also to jump weights like that.
That’S a 5 kg weight jump it’s three to four different divisions from 55 to 60 yeah.
I think it’s three divisions.
You know! That’S in you know if it starts in one weekend, it must have been very difficult for you.
I’Ve got a question to ask you.
You know um because I grew up in.
I grew up in South Africa and I was in the amateur scenes and I don’t remember girls in a lot of girls at the time I was in amateurs.
I was in amateurs, at least for eight years, and I don’t remember a lot of female boxers in the amateur, especially around joburg um would be saying that.
How now did you guys you and your sisters been in the northern in this? I think you said Northern province tell yourself, you know we can do this boxing stuff.
Even if it’s a it’s a more of a male dominant Sport and there was no uh any female, it wasn’t any.
It wasn’t so big with the female, even with the amateurs.
Oh, don’t know what happened there, but I’m sure we will have her back in studio so guys, I’m speaking to who they call the Anaconda.
Yes, she is she’s back yay.
No, no problems, no problems.
We carry on.
We can it’s.
It’S ringside talk.
You know we just hear the talk, we’re not here to interview like the police or something like this.
We had to talk if you’d have to leave and come back uh.
It’S it’s! That’S! Fine! That’S fine! That’S fine! Um! So my question was before we.
We got Qatar out there is, you know I grew up in in South Africa.
I was also in the amateurs for about I think eight years, but I was up in joburg most of the time and I didn’t see women’s boxing, especially in the amateurs you know.
Uh I’ll be honest, there was no amateur girls fighting at that time and I’m hearing you your sister, your sister, like two other sisters yourself, were doing boxing um.
Where did you guys get this motivation, especially being a woman in a male dominant Sport? And you don’t have a lot of female Fighters fighting and stuff, you don’t have.
Okay, you had your father and your brother’s inspiration, but you know you don’t have female Fighters inspiring you or seeing a lot of females in the amateurs to say I can do this.
You know: where did it all come from that? Where did you see this gap for you as a female? What one thing about me, I think I’m weird or something I never followed boxers.
I never followed boxing.
I never went to watch my brothers fighting or or my sisters in boxing they uh.
These are the day when they told me to to go to the gym.
I thought, like I hate to lose.
That’S the problem, one of my problems I hate to lose so they started when, when my dad started, he will give me people who already know boxing and they will beat the hell out of me, I’m like I’m coming back, I’m cut tomorrow.
You’Re not gon na beat me again, so I was like that you I’m not gon na lose and okay.
I I later I found out uh I was listening while I was already in boxing, but before I never watched boxing, there was nothing interesting.
I I hardly watch Boxing.
I only go to the tournament when my best friends are fighting.
I have to sit down and watch okay.
No! No.
I understand that.
I remember when I started uh when I started my pro career.
I also had the same thing to say: I would for some reason I just enjoyed to watch myself box you’ve been in training.
I would take videos of myself because I always believed this thing is um, I’m great no one’s better than me yeah.
Even I would watch myself fight when my friends are fighting.
I really this was in my early days when I was young.
I wouldn’t go, watch the guys fight and say I don’t want to be like them.
I want to have my own style.
I want to be me: I want to be unique, so understand what you mean by not watching other Fighters um.
So are you coming into the pros now after you say you want some, you did some championships in your amateur career coming into the pros.
Tell us more about that uh as a female, especially in a country like South Africa.
First, as people don’t know, South Africa was struggling with their boxing.
We thought boxing was dead.
You know this is also just for the guys.
You know we thought it was dead for the for the men.
You know, um you coming into the ranks as a female fighter.
You know what gets you going to say? Hey.
You know, I’m going to do this, no matter.
If there’s no boxing, no matter if the female boxing is dead, but I’m gon na do this, I’m here to do this.
I want to be Champion where you get that fire.
Where did that come from? I remember I said I I I my career was too fast in a way yeah in a year while I was I was in boxing so after that most of people were looking at me, and I talk.
I don’t care if you are a president or what, if you’re doing something wrong, I will tell I won’t write a letter I’ll tell you straight so a lot of people loved that about me.
So I had more support behind me.
That made me keep going every day, not because I want to do the thing I want to do this for them because Mina, I will tell you even mom.
Joyce knows we love each other, we support each other, but if I’m wrong she doesn’t go behind.
I mean she’s telling me straight you’re wrong.
I don’t like it.
If I don’t like something she did, I don’t go behind her back and tell her straight mommy.
I don’t like this, so I like, I was young, but I will tell you straight and I don’t want my dad to stand up for me.
No, listen, daddy! You understand this.
You don’t go to the ring you used to.
It’S me who’s going to the ring.
Let me tell them what is in me, so that’s when that’s when I got more support.
People wanted to hear media wanted to hear so I I I I could I couldn’t let everyone down.
I had to stand up for them.
Like the same the same thing, I’m still doing today that if I see something wrong that is happening to a woman, I don’t care if you don’t talk, but I will always raise my voice.
Okay, it’s very, very powerful and now uh run us through your your.
Your career, I was looking at your box Rick.
I was like damn she’s got more fights in me because, most times it’s it’s it’s unbelievable and you say you started off and, as you started off, you hit the sa title and that’s also in South Africa.
That’S a very Prestige title to have is the national title I think uh.
You know I also fought for the national title.
I thought Jasper um is um.
I remember I remember.
I remember that one yeah, it’s a Prestige title so run us through that from your essay title.
What happened? Where were you training uh, but before you do that? I’M just gon na have to ask you to wait.
One second to let my computer is dying.
[, Music ] one.
Second, sorry guys! No baby choose your mama, your mama, your mama foreign, [, Music, ], foreign, okay, guys hey, ladies and gentlemen, interesting side, talk, show Anything could happen here.
So I’m back.
We fully loaded, let’s go so! Yes, we were talking about your your boxing career from the from the beginning.
You want your essay title.
As you said, it was very short, very quick and very excited.
Uh run us through that um from moving around I’m sure you moved into to joburg um.
You know you, you started going with your career.
You started fighting um.
You said you won the essay Title.
First Title.
Congratulations! Actually, because that’s a very Prestige title in South Africa.
Please run us through that um uh 2012.
I I won.
My essay tell you um streak.
I was still under my father that time I won my essay title uh same here in August I defended my tiger.
I think I was here in joburg I defended first round knockout.
I was still under my dad and then 2013.
I had to go to tertiary or obvious, and then my father was like look.
I did my best.
I you defended your title under me, so what I need you to do is to go out there and learn more.
That’S when I moved to that’s when I moved to Limpopo to to Emmanuel Cindy um studying we work for five years.
I wan na my my wealth title under him.
Also, then I moved to joburg.
After five years um I joined the.
I joined the the new management because he was my trainer.
I Never Had A Moment Like someone who’s dealing with management only.
I always had okay you’re a trainer, but most of them they were failing on the side of management.
Yes, I know this.
I know this.
Yes, I’m doing well I’m doing well in my career, but I don’t even have a sponsor.
I don’t have any they are doing well, but they I needed yeah.
I needed someone who would manage me and then most of them most of them here most of them here in South Africa.
They don’t want to live.
You are good in the gym and you can’t even then also go outside to manage your boxer and they don’t want to work with other people.
That’S the problem.
That is why, yes, this is very correct.
Uh.
I just want to stop you there, quick um.
I think this is one difference that I’ve noticed uh been here in Europe and fighting back at home in South Africa.
Is that you know here you have a trainer that just trains, then you have your manager who just manages, and then you have your promoter who just promotes.
Then that is your team.
You know we’re back home, it’s not to say it’s wrong or I think that’s just the way it’s been for over years.
Is you have a coach? Your coach is your manager, your promoter, your everything you just don’t tell you you’re fighting your doctor, your father, your everything, you just call me say to you, you fighting and that’s it.
You know.
Um some people get lucky with their coaches.
They the coach manager, gets them.
Sponsors gets them.
This gets them dead, but I think it’s a it’s a difficult thing to do as one person to manage promote this this that, especially if you have a good fighter and then you got a whole bunch of other Fighters, you know how do you concentrate on one Person, you know, and it’s something that needs to change a lot in South Africa, where you know the fighters have a whole team around them, not just the coach doing everything but a coach, a manager, a promoter, a sponsor this, and that and that’s why the rest Of the world, the athletes are thriving because they have a team behind them.
Not one person doing everything.
Yes, so I move yeah um.
I had to move and and join this guy.
He was profiling me well, it’s just that.
God took him fast um.
He paid too much in the UK.
He was profiling, okay, meaning providing me very well a lot of time.
My profile was selling you, you get respected right, so I only had one fight under him.
Then, after two months he passed away so after that uh sure.
Okay, I was waiting for the he passed away in December 2019, um 20, 20 uh the day of the logica.
I received a call, my dad passed away, so I oh, I took that two years out.
I am better now.
I think that after after my career was doing well, I took that two years out like clean and it was locked down anyway and I didn’t wanted to fight.
I didn’t want anything to do with boxing um mom, just called me.
Okay, fine, please come back.
It was last year, but still after coming back, it was too quick because I told Mom Joyce if Mom Joyce I’m coming back.
Let me change the weight because I’m already over 30 now I can’t for 10 years.
I was doing 53 simple because I was young.
I’M over 30.
Now let me change the way and even if you can check in the world from Junior Walter till Junior feather I’m taller than them, I won’t struggle.
She was like as long you’re happy and comfortable just come back.
I need you to come back.
I decided to come back.
I didn’t want to set any manager at this age.
I I I I already got my own sponsors.
I didn’t wanted any manager.
I was like okay, I’m not a guy – that he doesn’t want anything to do with boxing too, but I can convince him because he’s my friend to train me and then I did I did.
I did convince him.
You will see his young in my corner.
He’S very young very focused, and he understand me we don’t shout in my corner, we don’t we talk yeah, we talk, so I asked him.
I asked him and again I don’t know I do boxing.
I’M like.
Don’T worry, please I’ll pay for your license.
Please just make a license, so you can be allowed to be in my corner.
If you’re training me, he agreed to train me.
I was like.
If you train me, I don’t want anyone in my corner because I can’t be trained by uh uh, whoever and then trained by other person.
What we’ll talk about, because the fight we’ve done.
We done the fighting there in the gym in the in the fight.
We’Re just going to finish up is it does the touch-ups, so he agreed.
That was when I started after after two years and after defending my title five times, my bantamui typing, I put it down after winning the wbf.
Well, title 2017.
did three times, then I put it down too.
That’S amazing because I Don’t Wan na Lose and I don’t wan na be stripped.
So when you say when, when you say uh you put it down, did you move up a weight or did you Vanquish? I didn’t move the weight.
I just went for eight round International okay, you didn’t uh, defend or anything like this.
The the president wanted to strip it, so I think my fight, they can’t sell my fight uh, the fight I was supposed to defend.
They canceled my fight three days before that.
So so I was like okay.
Let me write the letter before it’s the titles, because I’ll lose my rate that that’s when that’s what I’m saying money I didn’t know about that, but my man and I knew about it, not my train, my money.
Yes, so we wrote a letter.
That’S interesting repeated! The title we kept our ratings.
That is why even okay, I changed my way, but I’m still rated good in the world.
Yes, um, um yeah in different uh titles.
I I was checking WBC.
I think I’m number 13.
win the new age, uh wbf, I’m not sure, but in the old wait, um 18 in yeah, okay, number four and then uh wbf from number one.
I signed the contract to fight for wbf when the lockdown started and then uh WBA.
I think I was number nine, but because all the titles, in top in one time, then now I’m already having for fighting the new eight, but I’m in a good space.
Mm-Hmm.
Oh yeah, I’m in a good year, no thanks to build our name in this.
That is why Mom Joyce is so excited.
First fight.
I won it with points um, second fight uh to knock out third fight it when it’s when I was, I was fighting for this Abu and then the last fight that I thought uh three weeks back.
It’S a knockout and it’s all International, most of the three of them.
So what what she’s doing now? She’S building the old Google to go back to the world stage and fight for the world tiger as soon as possible, because from last year September, till this year September, I already October, I already fought four five: oh that’s nice, yeah, she’s, she’s, making fun she’s, making Sure that I’m active and in December I only had two weeks break in December, I’m fighting I’m defending again and next day he’s playing she’s blending, something big yeah.
So we the way she’s pushing things.
She also checking my interest because she knows my interest is like this, so she the way she’s pushing – and I understand when you believe, to someone and then they believe in you.
It’S it’s hard to break that.
Just for Jay every chance you get you make a use of it.
So now we’re pushing like we’re, pushing I’m back in the game, we’re pushing at least yeah.
Okay.
Now I believe, I believe you know just sharing your story.
Hearing um, you know uh it’s very inspiring and I believe you know how I spoke to Mama Joyce.
She was our guest last week and I believe uh you’ll get there I’ll believe you know.
Mama Joyce will even produce a world title fight and going the way.
You’Re going, I believe you, you have already been a world champion, but you know WPF is, is credible belt, but we all changed those four big names, the WBO ibf WBC and, I believe, ibf, and I really believe you will be one of those Champions.
You know in a four or five major bodies uh, you know we started a little bit late, so we have run out a bit of time before we go, though, can you tell us a little bit just a little bit quickly, um, what’s happening in your life? At the moment, uh, as you said, you’re gon na fight in December uh, where the fans, if they want to show no more look up where they can find you um.
My life is simple: I’m a personal trainer now uh just down this street yeah.
It’S not far from my place, um I’m having a lot of clients that are also sponsoring me um.
You can get me on um on Instagram um at DK, underscore small letters, BK b e e k, a y underscore yeah, then on Facebook uh, my page was hacked, so I am no longer having a page uh.
My my Twitter, my Twitter is not active uh.
So yeah I’m this person who always make jokes, though don’t think when you follow me you’ll find uh something serious about boxing, I’m I’m just busy doing drugs making other people.
All we all stress here.
If we, if we bought thing we can do, is just like someone else’s love, you think so, hello, hello, you still there okay shirt, okay, looks like we lost her there on our final speak.
Uh we’ve actually run out of time, guys uh.
We tried to push as much as we can.
With this interview we had Nina uh Nina in the studio with us.
What I will do, I will try to get her back for round two.
You know she has a fight in December, so maybe we’ll get her back in January, we’ll sit down with her again uh see how her fight went in December speak more to the champion.
As I said, she is a five-time sa Champion, three-time wbf World Women’s Champion.
Three two current Abu Africa boxing Union women’s champion and two-time sa boxer of the year of the Year award very, very strong girl next week.
On my show, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got another exciting female boxer, all the way from Uganda.
She comes in with the 6-0 record, a power puncher, an unbelievable K1.
She started off with the kickboxing career, so she’s going to be joining me next week, Wednesday.
I’M looking forward to that interview with an undefeated, ugandian boxer female fighter and I’m hoping you guys are all enjoying the show State tuned to talking fights and ringside took with your host David Trudy.
Thank you once again for joining me tonight.
Sorry, with the with the delays and I’ll see you again next week, thank you very much.
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