Cancelled tourney irks boxers
PUGILISTS LEFT STRANDED IN THOHOYANDOU
A HOST of disgruntled Gautengbased Boxing SA licensees who were left stranded without food in Thohoyandou after their tournament was cancelled on Friday morning have unanimously called for BSA to stop being a toothless dog and begin to bite.
The boxers – eight females and two males and their managers – were reacting to the fiasco surrounding the late cancellation of their tournament on Friday, which was supposed to be hosted at the Thohoyandou Town Hall.
It was cancelled by Gauteng boxing manager Archie Nyingwa because no purses monies were deposited with BSA.
All fighters, including the one from Hungary who was to face Bukiwe Nonina in the main bout, had already jumped on the scale. The act is clear, that they must be paid their full purses, but promoter Mpho Khorommbi blamed the cancellation of the tournament on the SABC, reasoning they had promised him less money than the proposed purses.
“The SABC offered us R900 000 to stage the tournament, whereas the purses amounted to R1.3-million,” Khorombi told Sowetan.
“I was going to deposit the purses monies only after SABC had increased the money (broadcasting fee) they offered.”
The angry local fighters visited Sowetan offices yesterday and pleaded that BSA and SABC give sanctioning rights to promoter Tshele Kometsi, who is willing to stage the tournament in Gauteng this Friday. The female fighters are Mapula Ngubane (SA middleweight champion), Esther Mashiya (SA junior middleweight), Ndobayini Kolosa (SA lightweight champion) and Melissa Miller; while Moruti Mthalane and Tendani Munyai are the males.
“BSA must act decisively against promoter [Khorommbi] who disrespected us during our month (Women’s Month),” said Mashiya. “It has become clear that we are not respected at all. He even failed to make sure we arrived back home safely, but why did BSA wait until Friday to cancel the tournament when the promoter had not paid purses?”
They said Kometsi – who had been there to watch – came to their rescue by buying them food and pay for their transport. “That is why we want him to be given the rights to stage the tournament. Actually, he said he was ready if given the go-ahead to do it.”
When contacted, Kometsi said: “I went there because Khorommbi asked me to come. I spoke with the chief executive (Tsholo Lejaka) and BSA chairwoman (Muditambi Ravele) to say I can take over this tournament and salvage this embarrassment if I am given the go- ahead. I am ready and willing to stage it and I will not change the bill.”
Ravele said she had already advised Kometsi to speak to Lejaka regarding the way forward.