Top promoters on warpath

Matiti vows his fighters won’t take part in Berman tourney

THE cold war between top boxing promoters Ayanda Matiti and Rodney Berman is getting worse after Matiti vowed never to release his boxers for a planned Berman tournament.

This after Berman posted on his website that plans were afoot to organise a four-man featherweight series involving Lusanda Komanisi, Azinga Fuzile, Tshifhiwa Munyai and Ludumo Lamati.

Berman said the knockout series was to be organised together with a similar initiative in the super middleweight featuring Alfonso Tissen, Ryno Liebenberg, Lee Dyer and Patrick Mukala.

“We [are] looking to have the semifinals in September or October and the finals next year,” he said. He has promised to pay each participant in the featherweight series R175 000 and the two boxers to advance to the final will split R500 000.

Berman has been organising these kinds of series starting with the Cruiserweight Super 8 which was eventually won by Thabiso Mchunu.

This practice is gaining momentum in the entire world with the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) in the cruiserweight and super middleweight dividions featuring world class boxers being launched this week in Monaco with the opening fights scheduled for September and October.

But Matiti poured scorn on Berman’s initiative, arguing that his boxers Komanisi, Lamati and Munyai would not be part of it.

“I saw what Rodney posted on his website and I laughed because no-one has spoken to me about this,” he said.

“I think he was just fantasising by including my boxers in the series. erhaps he wanted to garner interest but in reality it will not happen.”

But Berman is steadfast about his plans which he said would continue with or without Matiti’s boxers.

“I am not going to comment about what anyone is saying but our goal is to make boxing better and we will continue with those plans.”

Matiti said Lamati would feature in his Mandela birthday celebrations tournament scheduled for July 28 at the East London International Convention Centre and Komanisi will face Munyai in East London in August.

Matiti and Berman have been at loggerheads for a while and their already strained relationship has been aggravated by Matiti’s decision to withdraw Thompson Mokwana from a Berman tournament where he was scheduled to face Xolisani Ndongeni.

The tournament at Emperors Palace on July 23 will be topped by DeeJay Kriel against Filipino Dexter Alimento.

Matiti argued that Mokwana is contracted to him and will not release him as he has plans for him.

Interestingly, Matiti lost Ndongeni who he helped to beat Mokwana for the SA lightweight title in 2014 to Berman when the boxer left him to settle in Johannesburg.

But he is denying that his actions are motivated by revenge against Ndongeni arguing that he is merely looking out for the interest of his boxer.