As if being forced to travel on a rickety bus from Durban to East London was not enough, Eastern Cape fight officials have not been paid by J4Joy Boxing Promotions following the last-minute cancellation of the promotional outfit’s tournament in December.
Experienced ring officials, a boxing trainer and a boxer, who is a former South African champion, had to endure a long bus trip from Durban to East London last month.
Normally, fight officials, trainers and boxers are flown to and from tournaments, however that was not the case with Siphiwo Mbini, Lulama Mtya, Siya Vabaza-Booi, Andile Matika, Mzamo Njekanye and Azinga Fuzile who travelled by bus from Durban to East London.
The fight officials together with Njekanye and Fuzile had flown to Durban for the tournament, which never took place because of a number of reasons among them the failure to pay purses of overseas boxers and the sanctioning fee of the World Boxing Federation (WBF).
The officials, who are yet to be paid, were appointed to officiate in a WBF bantamweight title fight between reigning South African champion Ronald Malindi and Jorge Luis Orozco Mendoza from Mexico.
“We travelled from Durban by bus and it was uncomfortable. On top of that, we have not been paid despite the fact that promises were made in front of the acting CEO,” a ring official, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
WBF president Howard Goldberg said when contacted: “J4Joy paid us the sanctioning fee. However, they have not paid our officials. They have told us that they are going to pay on the 15th or just after the 15th of January.
“It’s not what was agreed. They were supposed to pay a week after the cancelled event. We will wait until the 15th and we have told our officials about that.”
Contacted for comment, acting Boxing South Africa (BSA) Erick Sithole said: “We were not aware that the officials have not been paid. We will look into the matter.”
Fuzile was due to have fought against Mexican boxer Rene Tellez Giron in a vacant IBO Intercontinental lightweight title contest while Rofhiwa Nemushungwa was supposed to have met Namibian Fillipus Shaanika in a vacant WBA Pan-African bantamweight title contest and Mapule Ngubane had a date with Maricelo Cornejo from the United States.
Efforts to get J4Joy Boxing Promotions chief executive officer Arnold ‘Squire’ Nododile failed as he didn’t pick up his cellphone.
Isn’t the promotion supposed to get the sanctioning fee back seeing the title fight didn’t take place?
Boxers had already been weighed and that meant it was fight on