A new dawn is rising on South African boxing and Moruti Mthalane will make it even brighter if he wins his bid to reclaim the IBF flyweight crown in Malaysia early next Sunday.
A victorious Mthalane would become the country's third owner of a bona fide world title, after his stablemate — IBF, WBA and Ring magazine junior-flyweight king Hekkie Budler — and WBO bantamweight champion Zolani Tete.
The oddity is that none of them are contracted to a South African promoter. Tete is with Briton Frank Warren and Budler is tied up with Watanabe Promotions in Japan.
Mthalane faces undefeated Muhammad Waseem of Pakistan for the vacant IBF crown on a bill promoted by — and starring — Filipino Manny Pacquiao.
In South Africa Mthalane (50.8kg), Budler (48.99kg) and Tete (53.5kg) could only dream of earning $50,000 a fight; with an overseas promoter and a world title, they could come close.
"It's very regrettable but the problem is the lower divisions don't sell tickets here," says veteran promoter Rodney Berman.
Mthalane, Budler and Tete rule three of boxing's five lightest weight classes.
"Unless you're exceptional like [retired US junior-flyweight legend] Michael Carbajal or Baby Jake Matlala [who beat Carbajal], the public support isn't there."
Berman, who parted with Budler before his last bout, is one local promoter who has handled many real world champions, having been in charge of four simultaneously in 1997.
Back then Berman even staged tournaments abroad to help keep his champions busy, but sponsorships were easier then because local companies received incentives to advertise overseas.
Times have changed since.
Boxing SA (BSA) CEO Tsholofelo Lejaka says promoters must find more income options. "We can't only depend on the government and the broadcaster to fund boxing. We need new revenue streams."
In the past Berman had rival promoters who handled world champions, but since the departure of Branco Milenkovic a few years back, the vacuum hasn't been filled.
In 2017 South Africa had 97 registered promoters — one for every 7.66 boxers — yet only 36 were active, staging 78 tournaments in all.
Mthalane was stripped of the IBF flyweight title in 2013 for inactivity after he refused an offer that would have paid peanuts. At the time his promoter, Milenkovic, had fallen out with his manager, Nick Durandt.
"I think Nick and Branco were not seeing eye to eye, that's why it happened like that ... they clashed," Mthalane said before flying out on Friday.
He's not worried he'll suffer that horror show again; since linking up with trainer/manager Colin Nathan in 2016 he has been steered to this shot without a dedicated promoter. Mthalane, Budler and Tete will likely continue fighting overseas, which is not as statistically risky as may be thought.
On the occasions that SA's bona fide world champions lost their belts to foreigners, 10 were in fights at home and 11 abroad. Factor in Brian Mitchell and others who vacated their titles, and local boxers have won more defences abroad than at home.
But most were backed by local promoters safeguarding their investments.
The trio are not guaranteed that type of protection, but so far their rewards are outweighing the risks...