The handlers of Jeff Magagane have written to Boxing South Africa (BSA) asking for a review of his fight, which he lost to Bongani Fule in East London last Sunday.
With Magagane having lost via a split decision, his handlers strongly believe that their boxer was robbed after putting up a “great” performance. The scorecards read 97-94 and 97-95 for Fule with the third judge having Magagane winning the fight by 96-95.
Apart from being unhappy with the fight outcome, the Magagane camp has also complained about veteran ring official Lulama Mtya.
“Furthermore, the situation with referee Lulama Mtya during last Sunday’s contest leaves a lot to be desired. His inconsistencies were alarming, particularly regarding the gumshield issue with Fule,” the letter said.
“It was clear that Mr Fule’s gumshield was not properly fitted, resulting in him consistently “losing” his gumshield during the contest more times with no warnings and no point deductions. According to the rules and regulations of 2001, under section 35.5, this is considered an “unlawful act”. This was not a good decision.”
Magagane’s team have pleaded with BSA against dropping him from his current sixth position in the featherweight ratings and have asked Fule not to be approved for a challenge on South African featherweight champion Lindelani Sibisi until the decision of a review has been made. Magagane’s handlers have also called BSA to order an immediate rematch between the two boxers.
