As ironic as it may sound, senior Lagago Moletsane feels most at peace when in the ring with boxing gloves.

Triggered by his boredom during quarantine, the sport of boxing piqued his interest. From weeknights to weekends, Lagago finds himself at the gym doing what he loves most.

“The better I got at boxing, the more I liked it,” Lagago said. “I quit soccer—I had been playing soccer my whole life—just to pursue my boxing [career].”

Due to his unwavering dedication, Lagago got to see growth early on. And within discovering this growth, he has developed more commitment to the sport he cherishes. 

Lagago is eager for one thing, and that is success.  

“Skill-wise, I got better around the third month—that’s when I started outboxing the guys who were outboxing me when I first started,” Lagago said. “Personally, it gave me more mental discipline.”

However, Lagago could not have come this far in his boxing career without having someone to look up to. When asked who his idol is, his answer was quick and confident. 

“Floyd Mayweather,” Lagago said. “He is the best boxer; he’s from Michigan; I just like the style, the way he fights. He’s just the best ever.”

While looking up to boxers like Floyd Mayweather has given Lagago incentive, he also incorporates the lessons he’s learned from boxing into why he wants to be great. 

Aside from improving on physical skills and fitness, Lagago has also improved in regards to his mentality, thanks to boxing. Boxing has proven to himself that he is more than just a fighter. 

“It’s taught me that I’m mentally tougher than I thought I was,” Lagago said, “because sometimes, in the gym, when you feel like quitting—when you get hit with a certain body shot, a certain head shot—you’re like, ‘I [have] to keep going or else I’m going to lose the fight.’ It showed me how mentally tough I am.”

After mastering the ins and outs of boxing, Lagago is hungry for a challenge—a challenge bigger than just winning against his fellow opponents at his gym, Golden Gloves Association. 

He craves victory and validation, and States next month is the ultimate test.

“Soon enough, I’m going to compete for States,” Lagago said. “That’s what I really want to accomplish: I want to be the state champion next month. There are certain fights; you fight, then you win, then you fight the next week. Every week you fight. It goes on for a couple of weeks, so I want to win the whole thing.”

As Lagago works towards being the best version of himself he can be for States, he recalls why exactly he began—and fell in love with—boxing.   

“There’s a certain confidence you get from boxing,” Lagago said, “and it’s good because you know how to defend yourself against most people, and it’s just a good sport and a good environment—the boxing gym.”

When Lagago is in the gym with boxing gloves on and his head in the game, he feels the happiest. Boxing has brought him a sense of home and validation, teaching him life skills and mental discipline.

After many trials and errors trying to find where he belongs, Lagago has glued his mind to his boxing career and just how far he can take it, all while thriving in the boxing gym doing what he adores most. 

“I just feel like it’s the best sport in the world,” Lagago said. “It’s raw; it’s the realest sport. It’s not like when you lose, you can blame your teammates, you can blame anybody—it’s just you versus him. Everything about it—I just love it.”