Manager faces hard choices in the vital aspect of the game

“I WAS very upset.”

“It was terrible to lose my title and then to find out that my father had died, made it much worse, but after that I decided to continue and rededicate myself for the sake of my father,” wailed Mbulelo Botile after losing his IBF bantamweight title to Tim Austin in July 1997.

News of Botile’s father’s passing was kept away from him, until right after the fight when his manager Mzi Mnguni eventually informed him.

Botile’s father had died three days before the fight.

Some would argue that keeping the news quiet was an inconsiderate move. Others would say it was a wise move, as he could have been psychologically affected and have lost momentum going into the fight.

We can argue until the cows come home, but the point of this narrative is to highlight the role a manager plays in lead-up to a big fight.

This story portrays Mnguni as a manager who understood the importance of winning a fight – and protecting his boxer.

Fast forward to the present. Boxing fans can become extremely vocal on social media platforms and opinions are often divided in lead-up to fights. They even sometimes seem to have personal scores to settle among themselves.

Nowadays boxers are exposed to many things on the periphery, which may adversely affect them before fights.

Being the centre of fans’ attention serves as some sort of validation and a way of boosting athletes’ egos.

Most times managers have no way of controlling – or managing – how they are affected by the world of social media.

Especially in fight week, it is very important that boxers are protected from distractions, so their mind stays clear and focused on the fight.

Distractions are not only limited to social media platforms.

They could be at his/her surroundings such as family and friends.

The reason it is vital to protect a boxer, is simply because the lead-up in fight week is the toughest.

Besides having to concentrate on tactics and strategy, a boxer also has to battle weight issues and anxieties that may set in.

It is not surprising when a boxer behaves like a child who just needs tender love and care in lead-up to a fight. Different boxers react differently during these times.

Some become emotionally fragile while others are stubborn due to the immense pressure in the build-up.

In the past, boxers use to be assisted with all the pre-fight activity, where managers and trainers were more hands-on, shielding boxers from any possible distractions.

Some managers would take boxers under their wing by letting them stay in their homes in order to watch their diet.

Weight would be closely monitored, while ensuring the boxer was in a good state of mind.

So some would say Mnguni was selfish in keeping the news of Botilefather’s death quiet, until after his fight.

But then again perhaps he was doing his job as a manager to make sure that Botile was not distracted.