Ladysmith-based boxing promoter Nomfundo Malinga is forging ahead with her plans to have her first tournament after she defeated Boxing South Africa (BSA) at the South Gauteng High Court last Saturday.
Nomfundo, who is the daughter of former World Boxing Council (WBC) super-middleweight champion Thulani ‘Sugar Boy’ Malinga, left BSA officials and administrators with black eyes and a dented image after the court put aside the suspension of her promoter’s licence, which was effected a week before.
“I’m just waiting for a word from the broadcaster. We are busy with preparations for the tournament. I’m hoping to have the tournament on the first week of March,” Nomfundo said.
Nomfundo, the youngest daughter of Malinga, revealed that the suspension of her promoter’s licence has had a negative effect.
“The suspension messed up everything. You must remember that we had invited guests from overseas and we also had local business people that had supported the initiative. The suspension made it look like I was at fault even though I had done nothing wrong,” Nomfundo said.
Former World Boxing Organisation (WBO) middleweight and super-middleweight champion Chris Eubank from the United Kingdom was one of the guests invited to the tournament.
“Chris Eubank supported the tournament and was supposed to have been here. But he had to change his flight arrangements because of what BSA did,” Nomfundo said.
The 56-year-old Eubank defeated Malinga when the Ladysmith-born former boxer challenged him for the WBO super-middleweight title in Birmingham in February 1992.
