Good times are set to return to fight circles, especially in KuGompo City as local boxing promoters and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipal (BCMM) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which paves the way for more money being ploughed into the fistic sport.
Even though no one is prepared to talk openly about it now, Ink Sport can today reveal that the MOU is all about BCMM putting aside more than R5 million for the staging of boxing tournaments from development to national and international title fights.
“Initially, the agreed amount between promoters and BCMM was R9 million. But now the amount has gone down to R6 million,” an Ink Sport source said.
Contacted for comment, BCMM spokesperson, Luzuko Buku, said: “While the municipality commits to support and grow the sport of boxing as it is key to its DNA as a Mecca of Boxing, we cannot, at this moment, confirm the existence of a costed deal with boxing associations. We continue to engage and devise means in which we can support our boxing fraternity and when these are finalised we will gladly communicate such.”
The BCMM funded boxing tournaments in the past, but stopped doing so in the last few years. And our source has added us that meetings between the Buffalo City Boxing Promoters Association and officials from the BCMM have been going on for some time.
Buffalo City Boxing Promoters Association chairperson, Xolani Jamani from X Promotions, said: “Engagements are taking place. Our proposal with terms of reference has been submitted for consideration. No resolution has been reached yet.” – Monwabisi Jimlongo
