Lovemore Ndou ‘shares Nelson Mandela’s dream’ in bid for South African office

Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, opportunities for Ndou were few and far between in South Africa.

He took up boxing aged 14 to help him cope with anger issues and eventually used it as a tool to escape poverty.

“Had it not been for boxing, I’d probably be dead today or locked up (in prison),” he admitted.

“When I grew up almost every kid walked around with a knife or gun.

“With that anger, I carried those weapons myself and I probably would have used those weapons or somebody would have used it against me.”

Ndou began his professional career in 1993 and eventually confirmed his retirement from the sport in 2016, aged 45, four years after his final fight.

Towards the end of his time in the ring he set his sights on his future law career, studying alongside preparing for bouts.

And Ndou believes his qualifications set him apart from other politicians.

“Without bragging, I’m more educated than all the South African presidents,” he said.

“That’s just fact.”

Despite recording 49 wins and two draws from his 64 professional outings, Ndou does not have a high opinion of the discipline.

“As much as I love boxing and respect what it’s done for me, it’s brutal and barbaric,” he said.

“Each time you step into the ring, you are risking your life. I would never encourage anyone to take up boxing unless they’ve got a good reason to do it.

“If I was born in Australia, where there are so many opportunities, there is no way I would have taken up boxing.”

Should Ndou reach office, his bid to provide more opportunities for young South Africans could inadvertently land a blow to the sport to which he was once devoted.

Read more on South Africa’s elections here.