×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

Sorry, no victory boys, size matters

AFTER all the celebration and excitement that followed Klaas Mboyane's crowd-pleasing victory over Cleutus Mbhele last Friday night, a cloudy mass of cold crept in when it was announced that they would do it over again.

AFTER all the celebration and excitement that followed Klaas Mboyane's crowd-pleasing victory over Cleutus Mbhele last Friday night, a cloudy mass of cold crept in when it was announced that they would do it over again.

That was because Boxing South Africa's (BSA's) gloving steward, Alfred Buqwana, did not pick up that the two fighters wore different sizes of gloves. Mboyane wore eight ounces while Mbhele wore 10 ounces.

That is not allowed. It gave the Gert Strydom trained Mboyane an unfair advantage. Mboyane scored a spectacular fourth-round kayo to win the Gauteng Provincial bantamweight belt.

"If Mboyane gets another fight, we won't stand in his way because Mbhele will surely be still serving his 60-days suspension (rule after being kayoed). Once Mbhele is back in the gym then we will order a rematch," explained Loyiso Mtya, the action CEO of BSA.

But Mbhele, who was ushered to war by Jabulani Malinga, was nowhere near winning.

Meanwhile Peter Ngatane, chairman of BSA, announced that firecrackers and vuvuzelas were not welcomed in boxing.

Ngatane was reacting to what had happened in that tournament which was staged at a school's hall in Lenasia. Somebody fired two crackers and unsuspecting fans, including yours truly, jumped for cover.

On the issue of vuvezelas, Ngatane said:

"Vuvuzelas are not bad but their noise becomes unpleasant simply because boxing is staged in enclosed venues."

Otherwise the tournament, a six-bout programme, presented by colleagues Reggie Hilman and Gavin Hope at Nirvana Secondary School in Lenasia, was a huge success in terms of attendance.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.