The board of Boxing South Africa (BSA) has taken what many fight followers might find to be a very bizarre decision where the fistic regulator is going to pay a boxer without the pugilist having fought a single round.
After BSA failed to implement its own rules and regulations, the board took what could best be described as an easy way out and decided to pay East London junior-flyweight boxer Athenkosi Thongwana.
This came after the board overruled a decision of the BSA sanctioning committee following Xaba Promotions boss Ayanda Matiti’s appeal on behalf of Siseko Teyisi.
The committee had approved Sunday’s fight between Teyisi and Filipino boxer Elmar Zamora on condition that the Mdantsane boxer relinquished his South African junior-flyweight title.
Following its meeting on Saturday, the BSA board said that the sanctioning committee’s decision fell short of appreciating the administrative injustice suffered by both Thongwana and Teyisi because of negligence of a third party.
“The board has, therefore, resolved to set aside this condition, which was attached to the approval of the IBF Intercontinental title,” board chairperson Ayanda Khumalo said.
The board admitted, though, that Thongwana had been prejudiced. Thongwana sent a challenge form on the 17th of July and BSA only forwarded it to Teyisi a month and two days after it had been lodged.
“It is, therefore, not in dispute that the challenger has surely been extremely inconvenienced because of this unjustified lapse of time,” Khumalo said.
“For that reason, the challenger must be duly compensated for opportunity cost. An appropriate compensation for the inconvenience suffered by the challenger must, therefore, be determined and agreed upon.”
After that, the board kicked the ball into BSA chief executive officer Tsholofelo Lejaka’s court, asking him to work with Thongwana’s handlers to determine how much the boxer must be paid.
Khumalo said: “The CEO has, therefore, been mandated to work with the challenger to determine an appropriate amount guided by verifiable records, which must be offered as compensation for the loss of time suffered by the challenger due to negligence on the side of Boxing South Africa.”
Ink Sport tried to solicit a comment from Thongwana’s manager Lonwabo Witbooi, who declined. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
This surely was a battle of the giants . It lived up to the expectations as both boxers throwed punches with intention.
What a fight .