Lonwabo Witbooi is begging Boxing South Africa (BSA) to sanction next weekend’s doubtful fight between his boxer Aphiwe ‘Swagger’ Mboyiya and Lindokuhle ‘Hitman’ Dlamini.
This bout, which is scheduled for Saturday, 23 November, is in serious doubt after BSA’s sanctioning committee refused to sanction it because the fight is “not evenly-matched” as Mboyiya, a former SA featherweight and junior-lightweight champion, is more experienced compared to Dlamini.
Mboyiya, the current Eastern Cape junior-welterweight champion, has won 18 fights with nine knockouts, six defeats and a draw. On the other hand, Dlamini has four wins (two stoppages), two losses and a draw.
“I want to express my frustration and disappointment at how boxers are always at the receiving end of what looks like inconsistencies from our sanctioning committee,” Witbooi said.
Clearly, there are inconsistencies in the manner in which the sanctioning committee executes its duties. Not so long ago the sanctioning committee sanctioned a fight between veteran boxer Luyanda Kwankwa and Athenkosi Thongwana.
Kwankwa had fought 27 times compared to Thongwana, who had nine fights when their fight got approved. Also, Kwankwa had 26 fights before he faced off against Abongile Jacobs, who had three fights, in August this year.
“I really hope BSA can find a solution to this. If ever there’s a way, I would love to see this fight happening. There’s a lot of people who are affected by the decision of the sanctioning committee. This decision should have been made on time, not a week before the fight,” Witbooi said.
“Where are we going to get an opponent? Who’s going to take the fight at short notice? What about the financial losses I incurred as a trainer? What about the money the promoter spent in ensuring that Mboyiya is ready for the fight? I understand that the sanctioning committee is doing its job, but it should not be at the expense of the boxers, who put everything on the line preparing for the fight.” – Monwabisi Jimlongo
