House full anticipated
BIG FIGHT: FANS CLAMOURING FOR TICKETS TO SEE MCHUNU V OOSTHUIZEN
Massive interest proves boxing is alive and well in SA.
Thabiso Mchunu and Thomas Oosthuizen may no longer expect to conquer the world, but their crossroads cruiserweight clash next Saturday has left fans so stoked that even organisers may soon put up the sold out sign.
The clash at Emperors Palace was received warmly long before Mchunu overcame the stumbling block that was Latvian Ricards Bolotniks two months ago. The KwaZulu-Natal-born southpaw scored a six-round stoppage win to rubberstamp the September 1 date.
While the bout against Bolotniks was still in progress, boxing fans were already filling in the prediction columns for the Mchunu-Oosthuizen clash.
And since the June fight, Golden Gloves Promotions (GGP) have been inundated with ticket requests. GGP boss Rodney Berman says the fans’ response to the fight had been phenomenal.
“The interest in this fight is overwhelming and if people wait until the last days they may miss out,” he confirmed.
This is not really surprising given the fans both boxers command, not only at Emperors Palace but in the country as a whole. In fact, this bout came to fruition due to demands by fans after GGP ran a poll about which bout fans wanted to see most.
And now the widespread interest in the match has invoked looks on a par with the likes of Gennady Golovkin taking on Saul Alvarez and Anthony Joshua who often sell out fight venues within hours.
This bodes well for boxing in the land especially for a sport that is often proclaimed as dying.
There are several storylines in this match-up of contrasting styles but the most obvious one is the fact that both boxers have never lost against a South African opponent.
This is even though Mchunu suffered one of his four losses in 23 bouts to SA-based DR Congolese Ilunga Makabu, another fighter whose development can be traced to the doors of GGP.
While Mchunu has been the most active one – although his status as world-class fighter is under serious threat – it is Oosthuizen’s ledger that catches the eye as the lanky southpaw has lost just once in 30 bouts.
Mchunu may claim he has faced better opposition which includes recently world unified cruiserweight king Aleksandr Uysk, who stopped him in nine rounds in a WBO title challenge. But the lat- est dominance of the Ukrainian on the world stage has since made Mchunu’s loss look a little better, especially as he held his own for those nine rounds.
Berman is planning to dangle a carrot for the winner, but spectators will be the real winners here.
This after GGP added two intriguing bouts featuring Ryno Liebenberg against Alfonso Tissen in a light-heavyweight scrap and Lusanda Komanisi opposing Michael Mokoena in a lightweight bout.
The greatest threat to the future viability of South African cricket is not T20 cricket and its ability to make internationals swop the Proteas for money.
It’s not transformation nor is it the Kolpak exodus.
The gentleman’s game in this country is in huge strife because the custodian, Cricket South Africa (CSA), is allowing their administrative squabbles to spill over into the playing domain.
SA sport in general has always been able to somehow uncouple itself from that, but CSA is reaching the point where everything they do will affect the game.
The local governing body is staring at a legal avalanche that could engulf them regarding the fallout from the failed T20 Global League (T20GL).
Any reasonably discerning cricket fan by now knows how embarrassing this saga was when the tournament had to be postponed last year. However, the real trouble only came after that.
Instead of merely trying to tweak the original model, CSA’s board tasked CEO Thabang Moroe with creating a whole new framework.
It sidelined all the original private owners of franchises of the T20GL in favour of a new equity partnership with SuperSport. The broadcaster pulled out of the deal this week after CSA had trumpeted for months that it was concrete and done.
One can’t help but feel the investors of the T20GL’s threat of legal action played a role. After all, the last thing CSA can afford after a loss estimated at over R220 million already is going to various courts.
Owners state they haven’t been given their refunds despite CSA’s insistence. There are also unanswered questions over the alleged lack of due diligence in terms of some ownership agreements.
The uncertainty is robbing players of a career-changing payday on local soil, further decreasing the attractiveness of playing domestic cricket.
CSA haven’t even been able to release the domestic fixtures yet because they need a window for the replacement tournament for the T20GL. But how long is that still going to take?
Meanwhile, CSA dithered in drafting and signing a new Memorandum of Understanding with the SA Cricketers’ Association, the agreement that essentially keeps professional cricket alive in the country. It missed its deadline by three months.
Can SA’s best players still tolerate such administrative shortcomings?