Despondence as SA boxing grinds to halt

Sport thrown into disarray due to legal impasse between promoters and minister

In an unprecedented move, SA boxing has ground to a halt with a slew of scheduled tournaments being postponed or cancelled owing to the ongoing legal impasse between the National Professional Boxing Promoters’ Association (NPBPA) and sports minister Zizi Kodwa.

At least two major events scheduled in February and March in East London and Gauteng respectively, have been called off.

The Xaba Promotions show scheduled in East London on February 25 featuring potentially explosive bouts is one of the events affected.

XP boss Ayanda Matiti said he had no choice but to shelve the show until there was clarity on whether Kodwa would resolve the impasse.

“Our tournament was to feature Mpumelolo Tshabalala defending his WBO intercontinental junior-flyweight title with Thembelani Nxoshe, Tisetso Matinca, Moyisi Booi also seeing action,” he said.

Under Matiti’s chairmanship, the NPBPA wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa, National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-nqakula and sports portfolio committee chair Beauty Dlulane about Kodwa’s role in the boxing blackout.

The NPBPA accused Kodwa of being a rogue minister, further alleging that he undermined the constitution, and breached his oath of office and code of conduct for MPS.

This comes after the promoters successfully challenged Kodwa at the Pretoria high court over the appointment of the new BSA board without consulting them as per the Boxing Act.

This led to the new board which was scheduled to assume office in December being laid off while the matter is playing out in court.

With the absence of the board committees, issues such as ratings and sanctioning which ensure boxing activity are virtually non-existent.

Another tournament affected is a Golden Gloves event initially scheduled to be held at Emperors Palace on March 9.

The show was to feature an IBO junior-bantamweight title clash between Ricardo Malajika and Marcel Braithwaite of the UK.

Rising Gqeberha star Darrin Rossouw was to get his first title shot when battling Brandon Thysse for the IBO All Africa junior-middleweight title.

Golden Gloves CEO Rodney Berman said the state of boxing in the country forced him to postpone the event.

“This state of flux makes it impossible to go ahead as planned,” he said.

The saga has also affected the East London leg of the Women in Boxing Series schedule in Scenery Park which has been cast in doubt.

Promoter Monica Goci, who postponed the show from December 3 to March 2, said she was still awaiting official word from BSA on whether the event would go ahead as planned.

“I am also in the dark but BSA promised to get back to me,” she said.

The saga has sparked boxing stakeholders to call for Kodwa to appoint an interim board to reactivate boxing while the legal impasse is playing out.

In a series of meetings held across the country at the weekend, stakeholders were united in calls for a speedy resolution of the impasse.