The organiser of Sunday’s scheduled boxing show at East London’s Orient Theatre has assured it is going ahead despite muted promotional activities in the run-up to the event.
The tournament includes an SA title double header as well as an international title clash.
Duncan Village’s Siyabulela Hem is set to defend his SA junior featherweight belt against Vusi Ngcamu in a highly anticipated clash, while Mdantsane’s Moyisi Booi and his amateur buddy, Siseko Teyisi, will also be in action, contesting for an SA title and IBF intercontinental title, respectively.
Booi will battle Ntethelelo Magcaba for the vacant junior bantamweight belt and Teyisi faces Elmar Zamora of the Philippines in pursuit of a world ranking.
Despite the high-profile nature of the tournament, the build-up has been indifferent, with even the traditional pre-fight medical examination not taking place at midweek, fuelling perceptions that the show might not happen.
There have also been questions about whether the event had been sanctioned but promoter Ayanda Matiti, whose Xaba Promotions is organising the tournament, insisted it would go ahead as planned.
Some of the concerns centre on Teyisi’s planned fight, which has been vigorously challenged by the camp of top-rated Athenkosi Thongwana, who wants to enforce his SA title challenge.
Thongwana has written numerous letters to Boxing SA, reminding the governing body that Teyisi’s voluntary window to engage in an international bout had expired and that he should instead be honouring his mandatory obligations to him.
Asked why there had been no midweek pre-fight medical, as was the norm with his tournaments, Matiti said: “The challenge was the foreign boxers arriving very late in East London so the scheduled pre-medical on Thursday could not be held.
“The Filipino delegation will only arrive in East London on Saturday, ahead of the official weigh-in, while Magcaba and his team will arrive on Friday.”
The show, which is scheduled to be televised by SuperSport, will commemorate Heritage Month.
It will be XP’s thirdin 2025 after kicking off with a tournament at the Christian Centre Abbotsford in April headlined by Hem with Teyisi on the undercard, and an event in June in which Landile Ngxeke beat Mexican Eric Gamboa in an IBF and WBO B-grade title bout.
Daily Dispatch
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