PROMOTER Branco Milenkovic is suing Boxing South Africa (BSA) and its chief executive, Moffat Qithi, for defamation.

Milenkovic says he has been wrongly blamed by the boxing organisation for the stripping of Noni Tenge's world title.

Tenge won the IBF crown in June 2011, but lost her belt in July last year because of inactivity.

The case began in the Johannesburg High Court on Friday with Milenkovic's legal team trying to show that he had done his best to organise a fight for Tenge.

Tenge also twice failed to renew her licence on time, which could have potentially placed her in breach of contract with Milenkovic, but the organisation ignored this, the court heard.

The two-year deal between Milenkovic and Tenge, endorsed by BSA, was signed in April 2011, but it has emerged the boxer was not licensed at the time.

Nearly three weeks later Tenge asked Milenkovic to pay the R750 licence fee, which he says he did.

After she won the title, Milenkovic said he lost nearly R1-million on the tournament after Tenge's management turned down an offer to fight in France for $10000, and later $15000, demanding R250000 instead.

Milenkovic said talks with the Department of Sport, which was initially keen to sponsor a Tenge fight, came to nought because it did not give him a letter of commitment.

The case, before Judge Margaret Victor, continues tomorrow.