Leemisa Thuseho
ALL eyes will be on Pooana Khoahli when he steps into the ring against some of the continent’s best boxers at the 2026 Africa Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).
The continental showpiece will run from 19 October to 1 November.
The 21-year-old welterweight (67kg) boxer was Lesotho’s standout performer at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he won a bronze medal to end the country’s 20-year medal drought at the Games.
Lesotho’s last Commonwealth Games medal before Khoahli’s achievement came in 2006, when legendary boxer Moses Kopo won silver in Melbourne, Australia.
The Commonwealth Games were Khoahli’s first major international event. He has since maintained his impressive form, winning gold in the welterweight category at the Best of Best Boxing Tournament in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, last weekend.
Also representing Lesotho at the African Championships will be Refiloe Thai, who competes in the middleweight (71kg) division. Thai was also part of the team that competed in the Eastern Cape tournament, where he claimed gold in his weight category.
Lesotho Boxing Association (LeBA) president, Koloba Sehloho, told the Sunday Express on Friday that Lesotho was among the latest countries to confirm participation in the prestigious continental tournament.
However, financial constraints have forced the association to limit its delegation to the two boxers, instead of sending a larger contingent.
Sehloho said the team would be led by coach Velapy Snyman.
“We are sending only two boxers and will go with coach Snyman,” Sehloho said.
Lesotho will be part of a record-breaking edition of the African Championships, with 33 countries having confirmed their participation in this year’s tournament. This is the highest turnout in the competition’s history since its inception in 1962.
Lesotho will compete alongside Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, eSwatini, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.