Boxing promoter Lebo Mahoko has urged authorities within Boxing SA to assist practitioners to reach for their dreams while regulating boxing to be the leading sport code in the country.
However, he made it clear yesterday that he was not accusing BSA of anything untoward but merely humbly requesting that the seven-member board be flexible in dealing with matters such as the now thorny issue of the renewal of licences.
He proposed that boxers, trainers, managers, promoters and matchmakers be allowed to deposit the required amounts of money in a BSA bank account and give proof of deposits to provincial managers.
Tournaments are coming thick and fast. Seven promoters have applied to stage tournaments around the country next month. That is how it has emerged from BSA that some boxers – who are billed to fight in those tournaments – are not licensed. But it has turned out that some names – who are mentioned in that list – have renewed their licences. One such boxer is Koos Sibiya, who will oppose Anthony Moloisane for the vacant ABU title in Mahoko’s tournament in Kroonstad on December 12.
'Boxers should be required to renew licences only when fights are guaranteed'
Mahoko urges BSA to use common sense
Boxing promoter Lebo Mahoko has urged authorities within Boxing SA to assist practitioners to reach for their dreams while regulating boxing to be the leading sport code in the country.
However, he made it clear yesterday that he was not accusing BSA of anything untoward but merely humbly requesting that the seven-member board be flexible in dealing with matters such as the now thorny issue of the renewal of licences.
He proposed that boxers, trainers, managers, promoters and matchmakers be allowed to deposit the required amounts of money in a BSA bank account and give proof of deposits to provincial managers.
Tournaments are coming thick and fast. Seven promoters have applied to stage tournaments around the country next month. That is how it has emerged from BSA that some boxers – who are billed to fight in those tournaments – are not licensed. But it has turned out that some names – who are mentioned in that list – have renewed their licences. One such boxer is Koos Sibiya, who will oppose Anthony Moloisane for the vacant ABU title in Mahoko’s tournament in Kroonstad on December 12.
Mahoko has since suggested that the renewal of licences by boxers should not have an expiry date, especially now that the world is still in a state of confusion due to the coronavirus. “Let’s all be reasonable and allow boxers to renew their licences; they must fight and earn some money,” said Mahoko.
“No one anticipated the situation we all are in now. The country came to a standstill in March and everything shut down. I assume that some boxers who were still to renew [licences] in March saved their last penny to buy food because no one knew what was to happen and for how long. We are talking about renewals at this time of the year for the first time here and that is because of coronavirus.”
“Actually, BSA should look into allowing boxers to renew only when they are guaranteed fights because some spend the whole year without action yet they [have] renewed their licences. They spend their last money doing medical tests ... HIV/Aids, Hepatitis B and still pay R300 to renew but still don’t get to fight even once.”