Tucker jets in for fight

World acclaimed veteran boxing administrator Lindsey Tucker will arrive in East London on Friday.

Tucker, a long-standing member of the IBF, will be in the city to supervise the bout between Mthatha’s Sikho Nqothole and Sabelo Ngebiyana scheduled to be held at Orient Theatre on Sunday.

The pair will collide for Tucker’s newly formed Legends Boxing Federation (LBF) international junior-bantamweight title. Tucker is the chair of LBF which is based in US.

His decision to dump the more recognised IBF took international boxing fraternity by surprise especially as he was allegedly behind the toppling of then president Mariam Muhammad to install Daryl Peoples as the leader.

Tucker and Peoples come a long way when the former was the chair of the championship committee.

While the IBF is credited for giving SA boxers opportunities to fight for its title leading to the crowning of Mdantsane’s Welcome Ncita as the first world champion in the country, the New Jersey-based world sanctioning body also has rubbed local boxing fans the wrong way when it stripped Qumbuborn Mzonke Fana of his IBF junior-lightweight title under flimsy reasons.

The body incurred more of the fans wrath when it also stripped Mdantsane female veteran Noni Tenge of her IBF welterweight crown also for unsatisfactory reasons. Both Tenge and Fana were under Branco Milenkovic’s promotional contract when they lost their titles in the boardroom.

Tucker will now be visiting the city wearing a new hat as he is trying to consolidate his new baby in the region. Xaba Promotions (XP) boss Ayanda Matiti confirmed that Tucker would oversee the fight.

“Yes Mr Tucker is excited to be coming to the region known as the boxing Mecca in the country,” said Matiti.

LBF is still new in the boxing scene with almost all its titles still vacant as it is trying to cement its base in boxing-mad countries and regions.

The winner between Nqothole and Ngebiyana who will also vie for the SA junior-bantamweight crown, will stand a good chance of fighting for the fully-fledged title making him the first LBF world champion in the country.

The Nqothole-Ngebiyana clash will top the card which features a crossroads bout between Mdantsane veteran Ali Funeka and Uyanda Nogogo.

Premedical examination will be conducted at Motion Fitness in Mdantsane on Thursday.