Seroka now in a tight corner
THE Boxing South Africa (BSA) sanctioning committee’s ultimatum that all SA champs due for mandatory defences do so by the end of this month or face forfeiting their titles has put junior lightweight Jasper Seroka in a spot of bother.
Some national champions who stand to lose their belts include Christopher Buthelezi (middleweight) and Balemo Weliya (super middleweight), who last defended their titles in 2013.
Seroka, meanwhile, is entangled in a dispute with trainer Bernie Pailman, who trains the No 2 contender, Koos Sibiya and insists that he fight him before facing the No 1 contender. Pailman said Seroka was supposed to have defended against Sibiya before the end of last year.
At that time Sibiya was first in line.
In a letter to BSA, Pailman said Seroka ’ s trainer Manny Fernandes asked he and his fighter to step aside and allow Seroka to face Xolisani Ndongeni for the then vacant IBO lightweight belt.
“I asked Manny what if Jasper got stopped because that would mean that Jasper can ’ t box for 90 days, and Manny said that wouldn ’ t happen, ” said Pailman. “While we waited on the side, Koos got removed from the No 1 spot, which was later given to Aphiwe Mboyiya. Koos later fought and beat Ashley Dlamini in February and the ratings committee put him in the No 2 position.”
As it turned out, Seroka was stopped via a ninthround TKO by Ndongeni.
BSA sanctioning committee chairman Peter Ngatane admitted receiving Pailman ’ s letter and said: “Champions who are due for mandatory defences cannot participate in any other title fights before making defences of their SA titles. If No 1 contenders cannot fight, then No 2 contenders must fight.”
Fernandes retorted: “We will go to court if BSA takes Seroka ’ s title.”
He added that Mboyiya ’ s promoter Ayanda Matiti wanted Seroka to defend against Malcolm Klassen last weekend, but they turned the fight down because Klassen is not rated in the junior lightweight division.
Fernandes was offered for Seroka to defend against Sibiya in North West at the end of this month, but he priced Seroka out of it by demanding R100 000, which that promoter claimed he could not afford.
“These new promoters get money from government and the SABC, yet they want to pay boxers peanuts,” said Fernandes.
“New promoters get money... yet they want to pay boxers peanuts