BSA in a pickle over Matiti's cancelled tournament

There are no foreseeable charges that Boxing SA will lay against promoter Ayanda Matiti, according to acting chief Nsikayezwe Sithole after Matiti’s tournament – which was to take place at Sun City on Saturday – was cancelled on Friday afternoon.

That was after the promoter, who owns Xaba Promotions, had not succeeded in raising purse monies for his tournament which was to feature two IBF-sanctioned title bouts and an SA title championship.

He was supposed to deposit purses monies with BSA seven days prior to the actual date. But Matiti announced that one of his main sponsors pulled out and he was unable to single-handedly go ahead with it due financial constraints.

Sithole said Matiti first requested that the regulator gave him until 4pm on Friday to try and salvage the situation. But it was not to be. “Just as we were about to cancel it, Xaba [Matiti’s company] sent through an email informing us that he was no longer going ahead with it, so we issued the cancellation letter,” said Sithole.

BSA suspended the promoter’s licence of Jacob Mnisi whose J4 Joy Promoter failed to deliver the three-title international tournament in Durban in December.

The expectation was that the regulator would follow suit as Matiti, just like Mnisi, also failed to pay all the purse monies with BSA on time. In Matiti’s situation, Sowetan has established that only 10% of the total amount had been deposited with BSA.

“But there are no similarities on the two and there are no foreseeable charges that will be laid against Xaba,” said Sithole.

Asked to explain how they differed, he said: “Xaba cancelled his tournament on his own; we cancelled Mnisi’s. Mnisi’s tournament involved Floyd [Mayweather] and there were allegations of fraud, the use of the name of King Misuzulu and boxers whose accommodation was not booked; there was just a lot.”