Lovemore Ndou
This Friday I will continue to fight the good fight when I take on Rivan Cessaire at the Melbourne Pavillion in Flemington. I will again donate my entire purse to the Dulwich Hill Youth Centre.
I expect a tough fight. I have seen Cessaire in action and he is quite sleek, but there is nothing he brings into the ring I haven’t faced before. The man he imitates, Floyd Mayweather, I spent close to four months training and sparring with and the truth is, there can only be one Floyd and Cessaire is nowhere near the Money Man.
Apart from that I believe with my new focus to give children a better start in life, God has brought me back to boxing bigger and better than ever. In fact,it’s not a comeback, think of it more as a resurrection.
The truth is, from now on whenever I step into the ring I will be thinking of God. I will be thinking of all the poor children of the world who need a helping hand and believe me, I don’t give because I have too much. I give because I know what it is like to have nothing. I give because I believe every child deserves a better start in life. I give because I believe we are all gifted in many ways but sometimes it takes somebody or someone coming into your life to help you open your gift package. If I can help someone open their gift package why can’t I? It took other people coming into my life to shape, make and mould the person I turned out to be today. So why can’t I continue with that tradition?
I listened to the First Lady, Michelle Obama, give a speech the other day and I was so touched by what she said. She said, and I quote “Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” Those words define me. I would rather die with nothing in my name as long as I know I have made a difference in other people’s lives. Hence I will continue fighting for the children of the world until they take me out in a stretcher. I will fight harder to see that children continue to be the pride of our nation.
I pray that world leaders learn something from the words of Mrs Obama. Especially the leaders in South Africa where on a daily basis these people continue to pocket so much money while the masses continue to suffer. The masses continue to dwell in shacks while those in power live in mansions. They send their kids to the best schools abroad but nothing is done for the kids’ of the masses who are denied textbooks on a daily basis. It’s like the leaders are forgetting that it was the masses that helped bring about democracy in South Africa. If it wasn’t for the masses, these leaders wouldn't be having these precious jobs they hold today.
It’s sickening to know that one child can have access to a better education and so much food which he can easily waste, etc. Whereas another kid can go a day or two without a meal and will never get educated. And then we talk about a democratic South Africa. What’s so democratic about it?
The whole issue comes down to money, power and control. People will do anything to stay in power and control. There is no doubt that for as long as these leaders educate only their close relations they will continue to be in power, control and manipulate the uneducated mass.
People should take some advice from the late Jim Rohn. Rohn makes it clear that whenever an opportunity arises, behold it but beware of the person you become in pursuit of what you want.
Don’t sell out. Don’t compromise good friendship for what you want. Don’t violate your principles. Don’t throw away some values just for some objective. These leaders are selling out on the masses. They are violating their principles in order to remain in power. They are throwing away some good values just to remain in power and rich.
I refuse to be one of these people. I will fight to see that every child gets the education he or she deserves. If it means sacrificing my body and health in the ring to make it a reality, believe me that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.