BONGANI MAGASELA | South African boxing is at its lowest ebb

Ignore what some wordsmiths waxing lyrical want you to believe — the sad truth is South African boxing is at the base of the barrel. That is mainly because the success of local boxing depends on the number of world champions the country has, though there are other factors too.

Right now South Africa has one World Boxing Organisation (WBO) champion, Phumelela “The Truth” Cafu, and a World Boxing Council (WBC) bridger-weight holder, Kevin “Two Guns” Lerena. South Africa has two International Boxing Organisation (IBO) titlists, Ricardo “Magic Man” Malajika and Mpumelelo “The Boss” Tshabalala.

The most respected bodies are the International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Association (WBA), WBO and WBC, and South Africa only has two current champions in those; since readmission there was scarcely a time when the country did not have four or five. There are far too few fighters high up in the ratings pushing to be champions in those bodies. Major sanctioning bodies play a role because many allow promoters to become close to them, and this cosying up can help certain fighters get ahead.

Some in boxing circles unfairly play down Lerena’s title because they say he was handed the WBC belt on a silver platter. Lerena held that organisation's interim title and was to challenge champ Lawrence Okolie. Okolie relinquished the title as he moved up to the heavyweights and the WBC championship committee installed Lerena, making him the third local fighter in history to hold the sought-after WBC belt.

The same happened to Lennox Lewis, who was crowned WBC heavyweight champion when Riddick Bowe refused to defend against him.

Lerena became the first African fighter to hold the WBC bridger-weight belt that was introduced in 2020 as the 18th weight class by that organisation. It sits between the heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions. Lerena's enthronement is described as one of the benefits of a promoter having a close relationship with a world body.

Lerena is the third South African to hold the most-sought-after green and gold WBC belt — the others being Thulani “Sugar Boy” Malinga and Dingaan “The Rose of Soweto” Thobela. He defends his belt against Ukrainian Serhiy Radchenko at Sunbet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria on May 1. The bout, with a star-studded line-up dubbed “The Reckoning” by promoter Dewald Mostert, will be the first in which a South African WBC belt-holder defends it at home.

Cafu defeated Japanese Kosei Tanaka, a four-weight world champion, in Japan, to become only the sixth local boxer to win a WBO belt — the others being Thobela, Jacob “Baby Jake” Matlala, Masibulele “Hawk” Makepula, Corrie “The Sniper” Sanders and Zolani “Last Born” Tete.

The argument is while both Malajika, who holds the flyweight and junior bantamweight belts, and Tshabalala are champions, they have won in the less respected IBO and are not well known internationally. Therefore, the belief is you cannot put success and South African boxing in the same sentence because you would be overlooking the deepest problems this country has in the sport.

Success should not be about the number of major tournaments staged here but instead the quality of the events, and whether they elevate South African boxers in the rankings or merely bring them titles. The last credible world championship tournament to be staged in South Africa was when Rumble Africa staged the IBF junior-flyweight title fight between holder Sivenathi “The Special One” Nontshinga and Regie Suganob at East London's International Convention Centre on July 2 2023. Nontshinga outperformed the Filipino over 12 rounds.

How many boxers have achieved a world rating in the past three years compared to the number of tournaments South Africa has hosted? Most tournaments have not advanced boxers' careers. Some South African champions are not even known in this country due to how boxing is structured.

IBF president Daryl J Peoples has visited South Africa in a gesture aimed at showing how much he values the contribution made by local promoters ... Sadly it appears the country is far from producing another IBF champ right now.

Development and the value of the South African titles are haphazard. Blame that on Boxing South Africa, the regulator, which should drive those projects.

A number of South Africans have gone abroad and come back empty-handed. Smangele “Smash” Hadebe, Azinga “Golden Boy” Fuzile and Roarke “Razor” Knapp were involved in big fights overseas, and lost.

For the first time in many years, South Africa does not have an IBF champion. Nontshinga was the last; his reign as the junior-flyweight holder lasted for seven months.

Prior to Nontshinga winning that belt, Moruti “Baby Face” Mthalane had been the only IBF world champ in the country. Mthalane lost to Sunny Edwards on April 30 2022 while bidding for his fourth defence.

Hekkie “Hexecutioner” Budler also held that organisation's junior-flyweight belt, which he won on May 20 2018, the same night he was crowned WBA Super and The Ring champion. He lost the belt on December 31 2018. Cafu, Nontshinga, Mthalane and Budler were stablemates at Colin Nathan's gym.

Based in Springfield, New Jersey, in the US, the IBF, which was formed in 1983, has received South Africa with open arms since 1998. This collaboration paved the way for several boxers from this country to compete for IBF titles.

IBF president Robert Bobby Lee Sr, a friend of Nelson Mandela's, began working with US-based Capetonian Cedrick Kushner and his partner Rodney Berman. Their charge, Welcome “The Hawk” Ncita, became the first South African boxer to win an IBF title. Trained by Mzimasi Mnguni, Ncita won the junior featherweight belt in 1990 in Israel, where he defeated Frenchman Fabrice Benichou.

The list of local boxers who became IBF champions includes Mbulelo Botile, Vuyani Bungu, Zolani Petelo, Phillip Holiday, Lehlohonolo Ledwaba, Malcolm Klassen, Mzonke Fana, Cassius Baloyi, Isaac Hlatshwayo, Takalani Ndlovu, Jeffrey Mathebula, Mthalane, Nkosinathi Joyi and Tete.

IBF president Daryl J Peoples has visited South Africa in a gesture aimed at showing how much he values the contribution made by local promoters, whose success earned South Africa a place in the list of real global players in hosting tournaments and producing world champions.

Sadly it appears the country is far from producing another IBF champ right now.