Emil Brice lays down the gloves one last time

The boxing fraternity gathered in Ottery at the weekend to pay their last respects to a man who gave his life to the sport.

Veteran boxing trainer Emil Brice, 66, lost his battle with cancer last week, leaving behind a legacy stitched into the very fabric of Cape Town boxing. To speak of the Brice family is to speak of boxing itself, a name that carries weight, history, and pride within South African boxing circles. 

Emil’s journey in the sport began decades ago.  

He turned professional in the late 1970s, after a more than stellar career in the amateur ranks where he won multiple provincial championships.  

Though his own career as a pro boxer wasn’t long, what followed outside the ropes became his true calling.

His most recent work was with Wassim Chellan before his health deteriorated as he was looking to add another SA title holder to his stable.  

He did the same for fighters like Lunga Sitemela whom he guided to a SA title and countless others over the years, many of whom credit Emil with changing their lives. 

Emil and his younger brother Jackie were raised in the sport by another legend, their father Basil Brice who died in 2023.  

For them, boxing wasn’t just something they did, it was something they lived. Jackie would later take up the role of promoter while Emil found his gift in training and mentoring fighters.

Western Cape Boxing members, led by Mzoli Tempi, visited his family at home.

The words spoken, the stories shared and the fighters who came to pay their respects, all reflected the deep impact Emil had on those around him.  

He was more than a trainer but a mentor and for some, even a father figure. 

What stands out even more is Emil’s comeback story. His professional boxing career may have been short, partly due to some troubled years in his youth.  

But when he veered off course, it was his brother Jackie who reminded him of where he belonged;  inside the gym, with the gloves, the pads and the bag.

From there, in the early the 90s, Emil didn’t just return to boxing, he made it his mission. He used his own experience to reach out to fighters heading down the wrong path.  

He knew what it meant to struggle, and he used that understanding to redirect the energy of young men who might have been lost to the streets. 

Two of those fighters are Chellan and Abdul-Azziz Kunert, both currently at the top of South African boxing.  

Kunert served time in prison before turning to the ring to chase his SA title dreams and with youth still on his side, that dream is far from over.  

Chellan has battled his own demons and grew up in a community heavily affected by gangsterism. But under Emil’s guidance he stayed focused and is now standing on the brink of challenging for the SA title. These are just two of many who Emil inspired and transformed by taking lessons from his own experience of allowing life to dictate one’s path - not in a good way.

“He had his own way of doing things, and we argued a lot,” said Jackie.

“But we always found the best solution for the boxer. He always fought for the boxers. He always looked for the best out of his boxers.” 

That relationship between the brothers, one a promoter, the other a trainer, may have seen disagreement, but it all came from a place of love, for each other and for the sport they both grew up in.  

Both agreed that the fighters' well-being came first.  

“That was the heart of everything Emil did," added Jackie. 

He didn’t treat boxing like a job; it was his duty and a calling he never walked away from. 

Emil leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten.