Jackie Brice of Jackie Brice Boxing Promotions (JBBP) has come out in support of Minister of Sport, Zizi Kodwa, and the interdicted new board of Boxing South Africa (BSA).
The Cape Town-based boxing promoter, who was a nominee in the Promoter of the Year category at the 2023 South African Boxing Awards, has insisted that Kodwa must fight back against a group of certain promoters.
This comes after the National Professional Boxing Promoters Association (NPBPA), which is led by its chairperson Ayanda Matiti, took Kodwa to court saying he had failed to consult the group regarding the new board which is made up of Sifiso Shongwe, Luxolo September, Sakhiwe Sodo, Romy Titus, Princess Mangoma, Nande Mheshe and Dr Mary-Gene Manthata-Setati.
The NPBPA successfully interdicted the new BSA board from assuming duties last week.
“Jackie Brice Boxing Promotions requests that the Ministry of Sport really take the bull by the horns and get this stalling tactics of Ayanda Matiti and a couple of promoters that surround him. We all know he can manipulate these promoters around him, but boxing people know exactly what is going on. The problem is that the old boxing board has collaborated with certain boxing promoters,” Brice said.
“This is evident not just in awarding of TV dates, but the annual boxing awards. Ayanda Matiti was not even nominated and then was placed on the nominations and won the award. It is clear that once again he manipulated the old board. One can go back and mention a number of things, but it has happened and we must support the Minister and the new boxing board.”
Brice added that he has had no joy from BSA as former acting chief executive officer Erick Nsikayezwe Sithole allegedly ignored his inquiries.
“I have personally registered a number of inquiries to the then acting CEO and had received confirmation that my inquiry was being attended to. To date, nothing has been done to my inquiries. Boxing sponsors keep telling me that they won’t sponsor me until the house of boxing is in order,” he said.
“I have lost over R2 million in boxing. I am a boxing man whose family has being involved in boxing for over eight decades. I take my hat off to Colin Nathan and others that have stood up and took a stance against the old boxing board. It’s people like him that have boxing at heart.”
