Moses Kalengui targets SA Boxing stardom

Kalengui turned pro in February this year after achieving everything he set out to accomplish in the amateur scene. 

With his older brother, Emmanuel by his side, the Kalengui brothers believe they represent the next generation of South African boxing. 

“My brother and I always wanted to be the biggest stars in South African boxing, but we first had to show that we were ready to turn pro. Colin Nathan invited us to his gym to see how we move and he was pleased to see that we have a good base and an effective style for the big leagues,” Kalengui said.

In his most recent outing, “Sugar” stopped his opponent in the very first round, despite heading into the fight with a slight hand injury, but the young fighter was versatile enough during his training camp to prepare for the fight as a southpaw. Inspired by the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson, Moses Kalengui describes himself as a slick and calculated puncher in the ring, but as he has proved already this year, he also carries significant power. 

The youngster finds himself in a highly competitive weight class, but he believes that he is both the youngest and the best in his division.

“I feel like I can pave a way for myself in the super-featherweight division. Not only am I the best, but I’m the youngest as well. There are World Champions and African Champions from South Africa in my division, but I firmly believe that anyone can get it,” he added.

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Kalengui is a proud product of ‘Fight with Insight’, an extraordinary gym in Johannesburg that not only teaches the sweet science of boxing, but valuable life skills as well, as Kalengui explains. 

“Fight with Insight is the first place that accepted me and my brother. Children from the inner city go through a lot, not only drugs and violence, but also mental health issues. So, we’ve got psychologists here to help kids shape their future and make them feel they belong, whether that’s in the sport of boxing or not. 

Kalengui, with the constant support of his brother, ‘Boxing 5 promotions’, and the ‘Fight with Insight’ family, Moses has devoted his life to the fight game. 

It remains to be seen when “Sugar” will grace the ring again, but a fourth professional fight in February looks likely for the young and hungry lion.