Every boxer has a story. Few have one written into their name. For Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo, every trip into the ring is a reminder of the lesson his mother taught him growing up: if today does not go your way, there is always another chance tomorrow.
That philosophy is now carrying him towards the Commonwealth Games medals after the 60kg contender booked his place in the quarter-finals with a unanimous points victory against Bangladesh’s Md Ruhin Reza in Glasgow.
After receiving a walkover in the opening round when Trinidad and Tobago’s Anthony Joseph failed to make the call time, Ndevelo finally got the opportunity he had been craving, and seized it in style. All five judges awarded him 10 points in each of the three rounds as he completed a 5-0 victory to move within one win of a Commonwealth medal.
The performance showed the bizarre scenes of his opening contest had done little to derail his focus. On Sunday, Ndevelo had completed his ring walk through the smoke before discovering he was the only boxer inside the ropes. Joseph never answered the call to the ring, leaving the Namibian warming up alone before the opening bell sounded with just one fighter present. Officials eventually declared a walkover victory before cameras caught the dejected Trinidadian arriving too late to compete.
For a boxer chasing a breakthrough at his third Commonwealth Games, it was hardly ideal preparation. Ndevelo said after his fight against Reza that he simply wanted the chance to test himself. “It was nice,” he said. “I’m glad that I got to go into the ring. Got to face somebody. I can see my level.
“A lot of hard work has gone into this. So at least I finally got a chance to practise what I have been learning. I was thinking: ‘Am I really fine?’ and ‘Am I ready?’ because I didn’t get a taste. At least now I know. I don’t feel tired. I have an extra level I can get to. I was excited to have him [Reza] at least show up.”
This is Ndevelo’s third Commonwealth Games appearance, having exited in the last 16 on the Gold Coast before reaching the quarter-finals in Birmingham four years later.
Now, in Glasgow, he has matched that achievement and has another opportunity to take the next step and his remarkable first name has become one of the stories of these Games.
“My mother is my whole world,” he said. “[Growing up], whenever I missed training or I was feeling down, I would be told: ‘You don’t have to miss training. Just show up. Even if you are not good, just show up.’ She has always been behind me and that itself is the definition of my name.
“Every day you wake up in the morning and you have the chance to do what you didn’t do yesterday. That is why my middle name is Morning. Tuesday, Wednesday, whenever I fight again, I have the chance to better what I did here today. That’s all from her, for giving me this name. Every time I feel low, I get up and try again.”
The story behind his name has garnered much fanfare and the 27‑year‑old could not quite believe he was signing autographs in Glasgow after his victory. “It feels nice that there are children inspired by me. It is probably their first time seeing me in person and something about me interested them. It’s nice that I can leave a mark on somebody even when I am so far away from home. I am so overwhelmed.”
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