Mtya off the mark on ‘boring’ label

THE decision by Zolani Tete’s chief trainer Loyiso Mtya to blame the media for describing that the boxer’s world title defence against Omar Narvaez was boring has raised more questions about his ability to continue to serve as his trainer.

Tete retained the WBO bantamweight title in a fight that never rose to any heights due to Narvaez’s negative approach.

The 42-year-old Argentinean was even accused of turning up only for the payday as he did back in 2011 when he challenged Nonito Donaire for the same title.

But Mtya saw nothing wrong with the fight, describing it as brilliant.

It must be said that Tete did all he was supposed to do, but he had an unwilling partner in the ring.

Tete has become such a cautious boxer under Mtya’s tutelage that it is comprehendable that the veteran trainer may be responsible for that.

When Mtya was not part of the technical team and the training duties were handed to Phumzile Matyhila and Mhikiza Myekeni, Tete was not only aggressive but he was spitting fire, even setting a new world knockout record by flooring Siboniso Gonya in 11 seconds.

Admittedly Gonya cannot be held in the same level as Narvaez, who is a cagey veteran adept in all kinds of survival antics in the ring.

But Tete still took Gonya out of there to back the predictions he had made that he was going to dispatch the KwaZulu-Natal challenger within the distance.

One wonders if Tete would have had the same mentality if Mtya was present.

Mtya is a veteran trainer who has produced several national champions who were known for their aggressive styles and knockout prowess.

But since teaming up with Tete, who is also a natural puncher, Mtya has had a negative influence, resulting in most of the bouts Tete has had under him being boring.

Mtya is one of the old trainers remaining in the industry, having returned to training duties after he resigned from Boxing SA when charges of maladministration were brought against him.

At this stage of his career, Tete needs to set the fire every time he enters the ring to continue to prove beyond doubt that he is the best in the world in his division.

He has all the tools to do so, as his talent and skills are world-class, but he needs trainers who will coach him accordingly.

Perhaps his manager, Mla Tengimfene, had a point when he said he would beef up the boxer’s technical team with a world-class trainer to bring out the best in him.

This move was the reason he butted heads with Mtya, leading to the temporal fallout.

Tete cannot only be content with a win, but he must go for an impressive one, like he did against Gonya.

The more impressive his wins are the more exposure he will get, and that will translate to the mega-bouts he needs.