DAVID ISAACSON | Boxing SA has taken a dive, it should stand up and be counted

The quickest way to repair the fallout from last week’s cancelled boxing shambles in Durban would be to change the name of the promotional outfit to J4Jokers. 

That, basically, would explain away, to a large extent, the embarrassing debacle delivered by J4Joy. 

Soon after the tournament was called off — having already been downgraded from Moses Mabhida Stadium on December 11 to a community hall in Durban four days later — Boxing SA (BSA) swiftly announced it was investigating allegations concerning the promoter. 

But who is going to probe BSA for its role in this mess?

Make no mistake, BSA blundered by allowing the promoter to drag the promise of this tournament out when there were clearly insurmountable problems. 

At a meeting with officials, boxers and managers last Thursday night, when J4Joy and BSA finally threw in the towel, the promoter promised to pay the boxers their purses by this coming Friday. 

Now hang on a second right there. 

Section 11.4.a of the boxing regulations, which are basically law because they exist in a government gazette, states that: “A promoter must not later than 30 days prior to the date of a tournament or by any other date specified by Boxing SA, deposit with Boxing SA ... an amount equal to the total of the purses to be paid to the boxers...”

This clause allows BSA discretion in shortening the 30-day period of payment, but the purpose of this clause is ultimately there to ensure that boxers don’t get stiffed. 

Cancelling a tournament at the time the fighters were supposed to be trading leather means the boxers had done all the hard work in training, and ordinarily all they’d be entitled to is 10% of their purses. 

J4Joy seemingly promised to pay everyone in full by this Friday, including the boxers. Let’s see if that happens, but even if they do, what the hell happened?

Why did BSA allow it to get to this point? They surely flouted their own regulations allowing this mess to go on for so long. 

These are questions that need to be asked and answered properly. 

I am not a lawyer, but this case looked like it should have been a slam dunk. I’d love to know how BSA lost it

Parliament’s sport portfolio committee will have an opportunity to grill BSA, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on them uncovering the whole truth.

By now they should have already been looking into how BSA lost its action against erstwhile CEO Moffat Qithi, who won his CCMA hearing after being fired at the end of a disciplinary hearing in 2015. 

The Boxing Act states that the CEO cannot have a criminal record, yet Qithi, by his own admission in a court of law in 2013, failed to disclose that he had been done for possession of stolen goods in 1995. 

BSA appealed to the labour court and again Qithi won, with the presiding officer upholding the order that he be backpaid his salary that exceeded R1m a year.

I am not a lawyer, but this case looked like it should have been a slam dunk. I’d love to know how BSA lost it. 

But back to the Durban debacle — J4Joy chair Jacob Mnisi alleged the tournament was sabotaged. 

Promoters are a funny breed who are easily given to paranoia, seeing conspiracies under rocks and being convinced that people are jealous of them and hell-bent on trying to hurt their reputations and their businesses. 

Two of SA’s biggest promoters in the 1970s, Maurice Toweel and Dave Levin, both lost their licences after being declared bankrupt. 

Back then promoters were businessmen who either sank or swam. 

That’s what happens in the world of business; boxing should be no different. 

But these days too many promoters, like many modern-day businessmen, are nothing but tenderpreneurs trying to pocket government money. 

In the old days it was simple. If a promoter hadn’t paid purses by the 30-day deadline, their shows were cancelled.

It’s as if BSA thinks it’s acceptable to put regulations on ice to cater to the promoterneurs. Why does it seem BSA is catering to the very people they’re supposed to be policing. 

Does the regulator not realise it is not being seen as an entity that acts for the boxers, who are supposed to be numero uno. 

The old SA National Boxing Board of Control used to be self-funded, with just three full-time employees, but these days there are more than 20 employees who struggle to apply their own rules. 

Even worse is that the body is no longer self-funding, costing government more than R12m a year. 

And yet, even with a regulator, SA boxing resembles a Wild West show at times.

If BSA is not going to do its job, then parliament should consider deregulating the sport and saving the taxpayer some money.

And if that’s too much hassle for the lawmakers, then maybe rename BSA to J4Jokers2.