Boxing SA must focus in the sanctioning of fights and not get involved in the distribution of SABC television dates, says veteran promoter David Faas.

“I want add on to the sentiments of some promoters who are against the idea of Boxing SA being party to the process of the issuing of television dates to promoters,” said the man who has been involved in fistic sport for four decades.

“The distribution of dates is a simple matter – SABC must give them to South African champions as it was the case back in the day.” Initially, the idea was promote the South African title and that is how national champions became popular because they were guaranteed two dates in a year.

That arrangement literally meant that a promoter with more national champions would get more dates. Boxing authorities were not involved in that process.

Promoters did their direct negotiations with the national broadcaster, which made a list of demands and it included making sure that the main supporting bout to a national title was a provincial title fight.

Local fighters began making inroads internationally and promoter Branco Milenkovic, who controlled most national champions, used the dates to profile local fighters and also negotiated with the national broadcast.

Mzonke Fana, whose career began with Faas, is one of the boxers who benefitted from the arrangement. BSA announced recently that once their memorandum of understanding with the national broadcaster is signed, they will then make an announcement on the way forward.

But it was made clear that both BSA and SABC will control those dates and that they will need a certain criteria – and a verification process to choose promoters to deliver quality tournaments.

Some promoters welcome the involvement of the regulator which, they say, will prevent the monopoly which has benefitted certain promoters.

Faas said: “I am convinced that if the distribution of SABC dates in their [BSA] hands then there will be serious discrepancies. It could boil down to who you know and not what you can do.

“I am informed that an official from BSA negotiated a television date for a particular promoter with SABC. What about the rest of us?

“I applied for a television date with both BSA and SABC for Nozipho Bell to defend her IBF Intercontinental junior lightweight title against Argentinian Solidade Mathysse [the sister of former WBA welterweight world champion Lucas Mathysse who lost his title to Manny Pacquiao in 2018] in May.

“There was not even a message to say 'David we regret to inform you that we cannot give you the date'.”

Faas also touched on SuperSport, which also broadcasts boxing live. “Why is Boxing SA not saying anything about SuperSport dates? he asked.

“I mean there are promoters who have their bread buttered on both sides – getting TV dates from SABC and SuperSport – where is fairness on BSA, which is said to want to put a stop on the monopoly of SABC dates?”