By Monwabisi Jimlongo
There is a new twist in the ‘disappearance’ of Gqeberha boxer Thembani ‘Guitarman’ Okolo, who was scheduled to challenge South African minimumweight champion Bangile Nyangani from Bityi in Mthatha on Thursday.
David Faas Productions boss David Faas has sent a doctor’s certificate to Boxing South Africa (BSA) claiming that Okolo failed to travel to Johannesburg for the fight because he was ‘sick’.
But the doctor’s certificate from Faas was illegible and no one from the BSA offices could read what was written.
“Mr Faas sent a doctor’s certificate. We have asked him to resend it because the one we received is illegible,” BSA director of operations Mandla Ntlanganiso said on Wednesday.
Ink Sport can reveal that the idea of a doctor’s certificate came after members of the Nelson Mandela Bay boxing fraternity hatched a plan to make sure that Okolo does not face the wrath of BSA.
The plan included getting a doctor’s certificate declaring that, medically, Okolo was in no condition to travel to Johannesburg on Sunday.
This plan was suggested by boxing promoter Luphawu Oliphant in a voice note, which Ink Sport is in possession of.
“I want to make this plea to everyone who is in the boxing fraternity in the Nelson Mandela Bay to give necessary advice to remedy the situation because if we don’t do that, the implications of what is happening now are going to affect not only Okolo and his management, but the whole boxing fraternity and people who are innocent,” Oliphant said in the voice note.
“Mine is to advise the people who are very close to Okolo to take Okolo to a GP, your family doctor and get a doctor’s certificate and forward it to BSA to avoid BSA suspending Okolo for more than two years. Try and take Okolo to a doctor that will issue out a doctor’s certificate to say Okolo is deemed unfit to be in the ring in the next two, three weeks. Our intervention is to assist him.”
Contacted for comment on Wednesday, Oliphant said: “I was giving them an honest advice because what happened was going to have implications on many people.”
Meanwhile, Okolo’s cousin Thando Twenani, a Motherwell-based boxing trainer, revealed that he met the boxer on Tuesday.
“Thembani was brought up by my mother after he lost his mom when he was four years old. We grew up together as brothers. In fact, I still regard him as my brother. He started boxing under my wings as I was his trainer. I saw him yesterday (Tuesday) and he told me that he was not well, but he didn’t go into detail,” Twenani said.
Efforts to get comments from both Faas and Okolo failed as they were not available at the time of publication. Faas didn’t pick up his cellphone while 26-year-old Okolo’s phone was still off.
