Eastern Cape Managers and Trainers Boxing Association (ECMBA) secretary Thulani Mhlubulwana has called on the provincial government to increase the purses of boxers who participate in tournaments that they fund.
The current rate on offer is R1,000 per scheduled round, meaning a four round boxer would make R4,000 before deductions. This is the equivalent of £175 or USD$210.
“Boxers are paid a pittance by promoters,” Mhlubulwana said to the Sowetan.
“We appeal to the government to make promoters account for that money. You can’t even mention the actual figures boxers get paid. Mind you they must still pay trainers (10%) and managers (15%); they go home empty handed literally.”
One anonymous promoter told the Sowetan that promoters are struggling to turn a profit with funding on offer. He said that some provincial champions want to be paid R15,000 to box.
“I received R166,000 from the government with the instruction to stage a provincial title; the money is deposited in BSA’s account and BSA takes a certain percentage,” said the promoter.
“The challenger must also be paid a decent purse. People think we are making money here, yet we are not.”
Mhlubulwana has also called on the government to provide greater investment in boxing gyms, says that many are rundown makeshift operations.
“Some are in shacks and others in classrooms,” he said.
Mhlubulwana previously reached out to Boxing South Africa (BSA) COO Mandla Ntlanganiso for assistance and advice before internal ructions at BSA intervened.
Ntlanganiso was suspended from BSA in August for reason that still remain unclear.
“I can confirm that the director of operations has been precautionary suspended,” BSA board member Azwitamisi Nthangeni said to the Sowetan at the time.
“But with not much details because this is an internal organisational matter.”
“Mandla had promised to intervene but he was suspended by BSA before he could help us, although he advised us to write to the new structure of the Eastern Cape Promoters Association because we had been dealing with the old one,” Mhlubulwana said.
“I wrote to secretary [Sbongile Matiti] on August 9 and she wrote back to me on September 1, acknowledging receiving my email. So far nothing has happened.”
South Africa has a rich and storied boxing history that has produced many world champions and world title contenders over the years.
Vic Toweel won the world bantamweight title against American Manuel Ortiz on points in 1950.
Brian Mitchell held both the WBA and IBF super featherweight titles at separate times during his five year championship run from 1986 to 1991.
Dingaan Thobela held the WBO and WBA lightweight belts in two separate titles reigns in the early 1990s before briefly being crowned WBC super middleweight champion in 2000.
Jacob ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala won the WBO flyweight title in May 1993 and the WBO junior flyweight title in November 1995.
Heavyweights Gerrie Coetzee and Corrie Sanders both won world titles. Coetzee knocked out Michael Dokes for the WBA strap in the 10th round in 1983 and southpaw Sanders shocked the world when turned the lights out on Wladimir Klitschko in the second stanza to claim the WBO bauble two decades later.
More recently, Cassius Baloyi was the IBF super featherweight champion in 2005; Hekkie Budler took the WBA minimumweight title in 2014 and moved up to junior flyweight to pick up the WBA and IBF titles in 2018; Moruti Mthalane held the IBF flyweight title across two title reign from 2009-2012 and 2018-2021; and Zolani Tete held the IBF super flyweight title in 2014-2015 and the WBO bantamweight title in 2017-2019.
Undefeated Sivenathi Nontshinga is the current IBF junior flyweight champion.
