Boxing SA chief executive officer Tsholofelo Lejaka has denied that the saga involving SA featherweight champion Lindelani Sibisi’s title defence has been escalated to board-intervention level as the matter continues to rage on with seemingly no end in sight.
However, Daily Dispatch has seen the correspondence Lejaka sent to the board detailing the malaise threatening to plunge BSA’s championship policy into disarray.
The debacle stems from Duncan Village’s Siyabulela Hem’s challenge to fight for Sibisi’s title by virtue of Hem being a champion in the junior featherweight division.
Hem, voted Sportsman of the Year at the Eastern Cape sports awards at the weekend, wants to be given the first crack at the crown ahead of mandatory challenger Bongani Fule, of Makhanda, now based in Mdantsane.
However Fule, supported by Sibisi’s manager Colin Nathan, insists he submitted a challenge form first in August. The two camps apparently stalled over the purse, prompting them to pursue other bouts.
Fule won a close, debatable split decision against Jeff Magagane, handled by Nathan’s friend Bernie Pailman, at East London’s Guild Theatre in November, a month after Sibisi won the IBF international title by beating Indian boxer Keisham Luckysun Singh.
In a scathing letter to BSA but not copied to Matiti, Nathan blasted BSA for going with the decision of the sanctioning committee, which he labelled as nonsensical, instead of sticking with Ntlanganiso’s earlier pronouncement
Hem’s promoter, Ayanda Matiti, began negotiations with Sibisi’s promoter Hlula Dladla in December about the two champions facing each other, with the matter submitted to the BSA sanctioning committee for endorsement in January.
The committee approved the fight, citing paragraph 11.5 of the championship policy, which reads: ‘A champion by virtue of his/her status as a champion has the first privilege and opportunity to challenge another standing champion in a different weight division, provided he/she meets all other BSA rules and/or policies applicable to the sanctioning of the championship titles.
However, BSA chief operations officer Mandla Ntlanganiso vetoed the committee’s decision in a letter dated January 21, and instead, endorsed Fule’s challenge.
Ntlanganiso argued that the committee was aware of the decision, only for its chair, Irvin Buhlalu, to deny the claim.
After an objection by Matiti to Ntlanganiso’s letter, Buhlalu informed all the parties concerned that Hem would get the first privilege to fight for Sibisi’s title, drawing a retort from Nathan, who insisted his charge would go ahead with the scheduled clash against Fule on March 28 in Escourt.
In a scathing letter to BSA but not copied to Matiti, Nathan blasted BSA for going with the decision of the sanctioning committee, which he labelled as nonsensical, instead of sticking with Ntlanganiso’s earlier pronouncement.
There could be other developments in this matter, but we are continuing with our training for Sibisi, not overlooking the fact that things could change
— Andile Mshumpela, Bongani Fule’s manager
As the saga mounted, Lejaka wrote to the BSA board detailing the developments but blaming the wording of the amended championship policy, while also accusing the committee of lacking expertise and competence and not understanding the broader legal framework within which BSA operates.
However, he denied that the saga had formally been escalated to the intervention of the board, saying the matter was still being challenged by aggrieved parties.
“The aggrieved parties have placed on record their displeasure and submitted motivations for the committee to consider some factors they believe might have been omitted in the initial consideration,” he said.
He could not say if BSA had given the green light for the March 28 bout to go ahead as insisted by Nathan.
The matter has left Fule unsure about who he will face next, with his camp saying he was preparing for any eventuality.
“There could be other developments in this matter, but we are continuing with our training for Sibisi, not overlooking the fact that things could change,” said Fule’s manager, Andile Mshumpela.
With the frosty relations between Nathan and Matiti at an all-time low, there have been allegations that Nathan would rather let Sibisi vacate the belt than accommodate a Matiti-promoted boxer.
Mshumpela said they were aware that Fule might end up facing Hem.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.