Seventeen-year-old Anton Luksich, a Grade 11 student at Reddam House Ballito, has claimed the South African youth heavyweight boxing title, five years after he began training with his coach in a garage.
Anton won the youth heavyweight (92kg) title for the 17–18 age division at the South African National Amateur Boxing Organisation (SANABO) Youth and Elite Nationals, held at the Western Cape Sports School in July. Having progressed through the district and provincial tournaments with knockout victories, he was awarded the national title by walkover when his opponent did not attend.
The achievement marks a milestone in a partnership that began in June 2021, when 12-year-old Anton met coach Marcele Tyers. With no gym or formal training facilities at the time, the pair started working towards Anton’s ambition of one day competing on the world stage. Today, he represents Gloves of Glory boxing club and trains with Tyers at Maddox Performance Institute.
“We trained out of a garage, and all we had was each other, our grit, determination, discipline, belief, and a huge dream of becoming a world champion and fighting on a global stage one day,” says Anton.
Finding opponents in his age and weight category has been a recurring challenge, limiting his opportunities to compete. Moving into the youth division this year brought a more active competition schedule and the chance to put his training to the test.
His route to nationals took him to Pongola for the district tournament in April, followed by the provincial competition in June. After securing the national title in July, he recorded further victories in August and September.
Throughout the journey, Tyers has remained central to Anton’s development, helping him navigate the quieter years as well as the demands of his busiest competitive season to date.
“None of this would have been possible without my coach, Marcele. After going from gym to gym and going through so many ups and downs, it finally feels like all of our hard work is starting to pay off,” says Anton.
“Reddam House Ballito has been by my side since the start of my boxing career. Whenever I’m in a training camp preparing for a fight, the teachers understand that I often feel quite sore and tired. They make it easy for me to catch up on work and manage my work in class without feeling too overwhelmed by schoolwork and assignments. Whenever I fight, I feel extremely supported by all my friends, teachers and peers at school. It’s an amazing feeling, and I honestly believe I could not have achieved most of these things without their help.”
Anton’s longer-term ambitions include competing at the Olympic Games in 2028 before turning professional, with the ultimate goal of becoming a world champion. “Every year, we keep improving, learning and getting better. We started with nothing more than a garage, two people who believed in a dream, and the determination to make it happen. Today, that dream feels closer than ever,” he says
