Promoter pays tribute to amateur ranks

The world reacted with awe to reigning WBA lightweight boxing champion Gervonta Davis’s eighth round stoppage – his 26th in 28 wins – over Hector Garcia on Sunday.

But local boxing fundi and former promoter Andile Sdinile instead paid tribute to the amateur ranks, which he said were crucial for the development of fighters.

Sdinile said fighters in SA were brought over to the professional ranks prematurely and they couldn’t stand the test of time.

“That’s why our boxers’ careers don’t last long,” he said. “What people see of Davis today is the result of him staying long in the amateurs and now he is a full package who can adjust or adapt to any situation or style of a fighter and ultimately dictate the terms of a fight.

“Davis had a very successful career in the amateurs; how I wish that could be done here at home because we abort our fighters very early in their careers with zero amateur background. There are no shortcuts in the development stages of a fighter and sadly there is no development plan here at home.”

Davis – according to Wikipedia – won the 2012 National Golden Gloves Championship, three straight National Silver Gloves championships from 2006 to 2008, two National Junior Olympics gold medals, two National Police Athletic League championships, and two Ringside World championships, among others. Davis finished his illustrious amateur career with an impressive record of 206 wins and 15 losses.

Sdinile added that Davis was just like his former trainer and promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather won the Golden Gloves Championship in 1993, 1994 and 1996 and he also represented America in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta where SA banked on the likes of Hawk Makepula, Irvin Buhlalu and Phillip Ndou to bring medals. Mayweather would later stop Ndou in their WBC match in 2003.

Mayweather held 15 titles in four weight divisions before he retired undefeated after 50 fights.