SCANDALOUS!
South African boxers earn a pittance - r1 200 - for putting their lives on the line
THE earnings for which South African boxers are prepared to risk their lives can be just over a thousand rands for a fight.
Port Elizabeth boxer Lesley Hope was promised R1 200 when he fought Renier Strydom in a professional lightheavyweight four-rounder 10 months ago, but ended up with a measly R900 after all the deductions were made. They included a percentage to Boxing SA, his manager and to his trainer.
Forbes Magazine recently compiled a list of the highestgrossing athletes and American boxer Floyd Mayweather was perched at the summit.
The appropriately nicknamed ‘‘Money” Mayweather fought twice during the period used to calculate the Forbes list, and earned $85-million for barely an
WBA champion Simpiwe Vetyeka has to defend outside SA to get good purse money
hour’s ring work. He defeated Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto.
Little-known Hope has no chance of ever getting a sniff of that kind of money. He did not see much of the R1 200 he was promised against Strydom.
‘‘If I am to be offered the same purse money, then I will turn it down because really it is a slap on the face. That is how I see it,” Hope said.
Loyiso Mtya, Boxing SA’s acting chief executive, pointed an accusing finger at the media when asked why there were still local boxers who earn such paltry sums.
‘‘We have boxers who could be regarded as superstars, but our media does not portray them as such, and people believe what they hear from and read in the media,” he said.
‘‘That is contrary to boxers like Mayweather because the marketing of fighters in America is miles ahead of any other country in the world. The economy also has a lot to do with the pay of athletes.”
Promoter Rodney Berman, who is widely regarded as the highest-paying promoter in the country, said South African boxing did not have superstars with massive appeal, and this was one of the reasons local fighters were not paid anything close to the millions Mayweather earns.
‘‘Unfortunately, we do not have the calibre of fighter like Floyd and Manny Pacquaio,” said Berman. ‘‘I’m talking about real superstars. We do not have fighters like that [in SA].
‘‘Another fact is that here we talk rands. Mayweather will sell pay-per-view in the region of $30-million — with us it is a few thousand fans going to boxing arenas.”
Berman, who has extended his wings to Monte Carlo in Monaco, added that it was difficult to get corporate SA interested in local boxing.
‘‘That is why I believe it is impossible to compare our boxing to that of the Americans. You just cannot make it in rands, but we pride ourselves on the available finances,” said the man who brought global boxing icons such as Roberto Duran, Lennox Lewis and Laila Ali to SA.
Hope’s trainer, Caiphus Ntante, said local fighters have a lot to contend with as the R1 200 paid to his charge was almost the same amount that boxers spend when they renew their licences.
‘‘HIV/Aids and hepatitis B tests cost about R350, pathology lab fees [eyes, reflexes, voice and ears] cost R450 and the boxing licence itself costs R250. Boxers accept such purses because they do not know when there is a next fight,” he said.
Berman added: ‘‘Take for an example [WBA featherweight super champion] Simpiwe Vetyeka, who I think is great. He will defend against Nonito Donaire in Macau and I can only hope that he will get good money. The fact is, he has to defend outside SA to get good purse money.”
Berman disclosed that some time ago he paid Vuyani Bungu R23-million in all the boxer’s 13 defences for the IBF junior featherweight title.
Moruti Mthalane earned R1million when he won the IBO flyweight title last month. The tournament was bankrolled by kwazulu-natal province.