Budding boxing promoter and former KwaZulu-Natal cruiserweight champion Douglas Sibiya says his tournament will go ahead as planned on March 27 at Greyville Convention Centre in Berea, Durban.

The tournament was supposed to have happened at home in Lamontville on February 5, but Sibiya’s failure to comply with Boxing SA’s pre-tournament requirements forced the authorities to postpone it and allow the promoter time to get his ducks in a row.

“I want to apologise to the boxing fraternity,” he said. "I see nothing standing on the way this time around. I want to assure the stakeholders that I have rectified my mistakes. So I plead with boxing followers to come and support us.”

According to an information provided by BSA provincial manager Mike Dube through social media, Sibiya has complied with all requirements this time. The sanctioning committee has also done its duty diligently.

Sibiya promotes under DMZ Sotobe Boxing Promotion. His actions previously affected poverty stricken fighter Mapule “Thunder” Ngubane, who depends on boxing for survival. The former SA middleweight champion, who forfeited her belt in 2020, has to hustle in order to eat.

She used to clean dustbins in Zola, Soweto, before working at a car wash. Now she works as a bouncer at Andy’s Corner Night Club in Hillbrow. Ngubane says her shift starts at 5pm until 2am. She must be at the gym at 7am. Ngubane is trained by Samson Ndlovu.

When Sibiya signed her to oppose Rushda Mallick for the vacant SA middleweight belt on February 5, Ngubane was excited like a kid in a candy store. Sadly, the fight did not happen. She wants to regain the national belt she forfeited in the boardrooms and she was also going to earn around R20,000 for that fight.

When contacted for a comment, Ngubane said: “I still have hope that it will happen; this is what I live through. We’ve been preparing for this fight since last year and it got postponed three times. I’ve been in the game for a very long time; this is part of me. I feel sorry for Rushda, who is new in the game.

“I’ve even had serious issues with some of my family members who say I must just quit this sport. I can’t. I love boxing even though it hurts me most of the time.”

Sibiya has added two 10-rounders for KwaZulu-Natal junior lightweight and junior bantamweight belts. Brandon Naude and Khanyisani Mbokazi will fight for the junior lightweight belt in the main supporting fight to the Ngubane-Mallick main event. Siyabonga Mpangela and Mpilo Cele will collide for the junior bantamweight strap.