At last, Boxing South Africa (BSA) has acted and declared the fight between Roarke Knapp and Cristiano Ndombassy a no contest more than three years since the bout took place.
Knapp won the World Boxing Association (WBA) Pan-Africa middleweight title contest by a fifth round stoppage at the Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park on December 2021. However, a lot of noise was made after Diepkloof-based fight referee Tony Nyangiwe had erred by allowing the bout to go beyond the third round.
This was after Ndombassy had floored Knapp three times in the third round something which meant that Nyangiwe should have ended the fight as per the WBA rules.
The rules stipulated that a fight would come to an end should any of the two boxers be decked three times in one round.
“Since there was a clear violation of the World Boxing Association rules and regulations in this event, the WBA requests Boxing South Africa to declare the fight a no contest. WBA Pan-African should declare the title vacant and enforce a direct rematch for the vacant title,” the WBA said in its ruling on 16 December 2021.
Ndombassy said on his Facebook page: “I just wanna take this opportunity to show my gratitude towards coach Emil Brice, Colin Nathan, coach Allan Dillon, Jack Brice for promising me to fix that unfair loss with Roarke.”
The Angolan, who has made Cape Town his home since arriving in South Africa in 2010, also wished Roarke all the best ahead of his World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver junior-middleweight title fight against Frenchman Bakary Samake on Friday, 18 April.
“All I can say is I wish Roarke Knapp all the best on his big fight for the WBC Silver,” Ndombassy concluded.
