Former and present SA boxing champions who were owed championship belts could celebrate Christmas with Boxing SA’s belts wrapped around their waists, acting CEO Cindy Nkomo promised yesterday.

Nkomo was reiterating the assurance she made last time that they would help those champions get their belts. She is crossing fingers that the manufacturing and packaging of the belts is completed by the end of this month.

“It will be nice to end the year in style by hosting a ceremony where the chairperson of Boxing SA presents those belts to the champions,” she said.

“I am hoping to achieve that because December 15 is the closing day here at BSA.”

Champions claim the outright ownership of championship belts after making the required number of defences, which is five for men and three for women. 

“We received names of male and female boxing champions past and present, and right now BSA is finalising everything, including appointing the manufacturer,” she said.

“Once all is done we will have the belts ready. Like I said, champions will celebrate Christmas with their belts wrapped around their waists.”

Two of the many champions who are owed belts are Nkululeko Mhlongo and Noxolo Makhanavu. Mhlongo held the SA junior-middleweight belt, which he relinquished after winning another national belt in the middleweight division. Makhanavu was the SA female flyweight champion until last month. She vacated that belt and moved up a weight division.

It must be said that the Old Buck belt – phased out in 2006 after BSA announced its own – remains the real championship belt. It was introduced in 1977 and redesigned in 1980.

It was made of sterling silver, 22 carat gold and specially designed calf’s leather. A national champion had to retain it in three successive defences but that was amended to five in 1991.

Rules stipulate that no fighter may hold more than one belt in the same weight division.