BSA ready to deliver KO blow to shameless sanctioning bodies
SOUTH Africa is no dumping ground for insignificant boxing titles, warns Boxing SA (BSA) sanctioning committee chairman Peter Ngatane.
He was responding to a question about the dubious conduct by the WBA and WBF, who sanction boxers who do not even qualify for provincial titles.
The query about these sanctioning bodies’s questionable behaviour was actually directed to BSA chairwoman Muditambi Ravele.
She referred Sowetan to Ngatane, a former BSA chairman.
“These bodies see South Africa as either the starting block or dumping ground,” said Ngatane, the longest serving member of the BSA board.
“They fool our boxers and make them believe that they are world champions when they are not.”
He added: “We had a meeting as the BSA board three weeks ago. It was decided that even though these sanctioning bodies can sanction a bout, we still have a say because of our jurisdiction. We are in the process of grading them because some do not deserve to be staging their fights here. It is all about money [sanctioning fees].”
Already, the WBA has sanctioned Daniel Bruwer to oppose Thomas Oosthuizen for its vacant Pan African light heavyweight belt on Saturday night.
The reality is Bruwer last fought on October 2014, when he was badly knocked out in the seventh round by Oleksandr Usyk for the WBO Intercontinental title.
Bruwer must have first seen a neurosurgeon for a brain scan to determine that he has fully recovered from that knockdown, which came with an automatic 90-day suspension.
When a boxer is suspended following a terrible beating, it means they must stay away from the gym for that period. After that they can start light training without getting involved in contact sessions like sparring to avoid exacerbating the injury.
Johnny Muller was knocked out badly in the 10th round by Kevin Lerena for the SA and WBA Pan African cruiserweight belts in April. Muller was handed a 30-day suspension but the deposed champion was back in action on June 11 to face Micki Nielsen from Denmark over 10 rounds. That means Muller continued training while serving his suspension.
The WBF sanctioned washed up fighter Johannes Pieterson – who had 16 losses against 10 wins – to oppose then prospect Bongani Mlotshwa for the All Africa junior middleweight belt. Mlotshwa dropped Pieterson in grotesque fashion – head first before his body bounced off the canvas – in the 10th round.
To cap it all, the WBA recently sanctioned a Pan African bantamweight title fight between holder Siboniso Gonya and Italian Gianpietro Marceddu.
Ngatane announced that local female referee Sylvia Mokaila would handle the WBC bantamweight bout between champion Catherine Phiri and Gabisile Tshabalala in Lusaka on Saturday. Ngatane will be fight supervisor.