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Major coup for promoters

Bongani Magasela

Bongani Magasela

Group executive at the SABC, Mvuso Mbebe, promised at BSA's yearly awards in Bloemfontein last month that boxing excellence would once again reverberate in boxing fans' ears.

The national broadcaster has indeed delivered.

Group communications manager Kaizer Kganyago said he was delighted to announce that eight boxing promoters would be allocated air time to showcase their boxing matches in the 2008-09 fiscal year.

"Our air time allocation will see avid fans of boxing entertained with more than 30 bouts of live Blow by Blow action on SABC Sport," he said.

The time for a live broadcast will now be 9.30pm instead of 10pm, but still on Friday night.

"Within the new vision of SABC Sport, two types of criteria for selection were used. The first was considering the broadcaster's mandate of bridging the urban and rural divide, and focus on promoting sport mostly from remote areas. Secondly, the objective leaned more towards the quality of boxers selected," he said.

The eight promotional companies are: Branco Sports, Robs, World Sport, KK, Mamali, Rams, Showtime and Tshiawelo promotions.

Kganyago said the deal would also cement their relationship with various promoters. He said in the last fiscal year, 32 fights were televised live and the corporation is planning to increase boxing content in the next few years.

"The allocation will further ensure that SABC Sport delivers high quality, entertaining and live boxing action. The content will be packaged in a riveting action-packed manner which viewers will find rewarding to watch.

"The deal will also assist the sport channel's need to broadcast sport content that contributes to the development of responsible citizens."

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