The growing trend of mixing boxing tournaments with commercial events in Gauteng is filtering down to East London, with Sunday’s show marking the reopening of iconic venue the Orient Theatre set to be multifold to attract spectators.
The show, to be headlined by the SA featherweight title clash between champion Zolisa Batyi and challenger Lindelani Sibisi, will mark the return of boxing to the Orient Theatre after a brief flirtation with the Abbotsford Christian Centre.
KayB Promotions boss Mzi Booi said he was given permission by the Buffalo City Metro to stage the tournament at the venue after it was reopened following its closure for renovations.
“Ablution facilities have been fixed with tiling and painting done, and lights functioning, so the venue is compliant,” he said.
With a new wave of organising boxing events taking Gauteng by storm, which had seen bouts fused with entertainment, intertwined in a commercial outlook, Booi said he would try the method in his tournament by partnering with a popular club and eatery for packages for fans to gain entrance at the Orient Theatre.
“We have partnered with Vegas Bar & Eatery, which is celebrating its anniversary from Friday to Sunday, to offer hospitality packages for fans.
“If they buy boxing packages such as six tags for R5,000 or one tag for R900, they will gain entrance to Vegas Bar & Eatery, which will include selected whisky and other goodies.”
Booi said he was impressed by the National Boxing Championship tournament organised in partnership with Arena Holdings at its building in April.
Two other tournaments, Aquilla Boxing Promotion at Galleria Events Venue in Johannesburg and Legacy Boxing Promotions in Pretoria, had more commercial aspect than boxing activity.
However, while the tournaments were a rousing success with the Pretoria event featuring WBC bridgerweight champion Kevin Lerena and Mdantsane’s IBO welterweight king Thulani Mbenge, the standard of the bouts was frowned upon.
Booi said his show featured two SA titles, with Aphiwe Mboyiya also contesting for the vacant junior welterweight belt. Undercard bouts would also produce fireworks, he said.
“We cannot cheat East London boxing people by giving them weak bouts because they know their sport.
“I can tell you our bouts will not be like those in the Gauteng tournaments.”
Batyi, who will vie for the fifth defence of his belt, is in a tough clash where he will once again enter as an underdog, owing to the KwaZulu-Natal boxer having won all but one of his eight bouts against two losses, one already avenged.
Daily Dispatch
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