Boxing South Africa responds to ring chaos

MZIMASI Mnguni will be hauled before Boxing South Africa's disciplinary committee for his unruly behaviour that is said to have incited fight fans to throw missiles into the ring

Andile Sdinile, BSA's chairperson of the management committee and Loyiso Mtya, director of operations, made it clear that Mnguni will be called in to explain his unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Mnguni stormed the ring at the Orient Theatre in East London on Sunday and pushed referee Allan Matakane, who he had confronted over a decision to stop the national junior lightweight title fight between his charge Ayanda Yaphi and Godfrey Nzimande in the eighth round.

Yaphi broke down and cried, while still held by Matakane.

Mnguni was very angry at this.

Trainer Nick Durandt, whose boxer Nzimande had retained his belt, tried to intervene but he too was pushed away by Mnguni.

Fight fans then hurled all sorts of missiles, including empty beer bottles, into the ring. Nzimande, Durandt and Mtya were hit but sustained no visible injuries.

Durandt dragged Nzimande out of the ring and dashed to the dressing rooms. Police and security personnel tried to stop the havoc but fans, who were baying for Matakane's blood, would not budge.

Mtya, Sdinile and BSA's manager Phakamile Jacobs finally calmed the situation while Mnguni shielded Matakane.

Durandt and Nzimande were still in the dressing room when the result was announced. Police and security staff escorted Matakane out through an emergency exit.

Mnguni has always taken defeat graciously but he lost his composure on Sunday and behaved like a man possessed. East London fans are known to appreciate good boxing skills irrespective of where the boxer is from.

But they blamed Matakane, a local referee, for stopping the fight too soon. They said he behaved like he did not know Yaphi, who has come back from the brink of defeat to win fights. Yaphi was down in the third round and was bleeding badly from a cut above his left eye. His legs were buckled by two powerful blows in the eighth round and Matakane stopped the fight.

Nzimande had it easy for five rounds as he easily scored with probing barbs and followed up with damaging rights but he ran out of steam in the sixth and seventh rounds. Yaphi's uppercut wobbled Nzimande, who found his second wind in the eighth.