South African junior-featherweight champion Siyabulela Hem must forget about challenging for the SA featherweight title currently held by Lindelani Sibisi.
This was the message from Sibisi’s manager Colin ‘Nomakanjani’ Nathan in a letter he sent to Boxing South Africa (BSA). Nathan insisted that Sibisi will make a mandatory defence against Bongani Fule from Makhanda.
In the letter he wrote to Mncedisi Ngqumba where he also copied BSA board chairperson Ayanda Khumalo, the regulator’s chief executive officer Tsholofelo Lejaka and director of operations Mandla Ntlanganiso, Nathan said: “In my opinion the question to ask here is simple. There was a challenge for the SA featherweight title, as I have sent through proof from last year August from Mr Fule. Did the sanction committee ever receive the title challenge last August that was sent from Mr Mshumpela? Because, if they did, we would not be even entertaining the Hem challenge,” Nathan said.
“To be honest, I do not care if Hem is sanctioned or not as my athlete, Mr Sibisi is not going to fight with him next. Mr Fule’s title challenge was submitted first as can clearly be seen on the timelines of the challenge lodged by Mr Mshumpela to the Eastern Cape PM – Mrs Vabaza.
“If BSA is administratively at fault here, then I think the office needs to take accountability. Mr Ngqumba, as I previously stated, we are committed to our mandatory defence against Mr Fule. Unfortunately for Mr Hem and his team, they will have to wait until the completion of this contest to challenge the winner. I think this is a straightforward matter.”
Nathan, the NO DOUBT Management boss, was responding to a letter which was sent by Ngqumba to Fule’s promoter Mzi Booi of Kay B Promotions and the boxer’s manager Andile Mshumpela on Monday.
In the letter, Ngqumba disputed that a fight between Sibisi and Hem had been sanctioned by the BSA sanctioning committee. He said that the sanctioning committee had only approved the Sibisi-Hem fight.
Ngqumba said: “For clarity, I did not state or express that the bout between Siyabulela Hem and Lindelani Sibisi was sanctioned. My email referred only to the sanctioning committee’s approval of Siyabulela Hem’s challenge for the SA featherweight title in terms of clause 11.5 of the sanctioning and championship policy.
“The sanctioning of a bout and the approval of a challenge are separate processes. Any suggestion that I stated that the Hem vs Sibisi bout was sanctioned is factually incorrect. I request that this misstatement be withdrawn.”
Already, fight contracts have been signed with Sibisi and Fule set to come up against each other in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday, 28 March. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
