Boxing SA congratulated Makhanda-born Mdantsane boxer Bongani Fule after he was deemed eligible to challenge for the SA featherweight title following an arbitration ruling on Tuesday.
Fule was in the running against Duncan Village’s Siyabulela Hem to face featherweight champion Lindelani Sibisi, with both camps insisting their boxers deserved first option. BSA chief operations officer Mandla Ntlanganiso made a pronouncement in January that Fule was more deserving due to the mandatory spot he held and the fact that he had submitted the challenge first.
However, the BSA sanctioning committee ruled that Hem should get the first nod owing to the championship policy, which gives him preference due to his status as the SA junior featherweight champion.
With the camps deadlocked, BSA invited them to a two-day hearing in Pretoria to present their case to the tribunal hearing chaired by advocate KJ Mogale-Makinta and other senior legal counsel.
“The arbitration panel conducted thorough hearings and received oral and written submissions from all relevant parties, including initiator Mashudu Thenga, the sanctioning committee and representatives of the affected parties,” BSA said in a statement.
“The ruling determines that Bongani Fule is the appropriate challenger to contest the reigning featherweight champion, Lindelani Sibisi.”
The ruling frees Fule to face Sibisi in Estcourt on Saturday, though the fight has since been shrouded in uncertainty from the Sibisi camp.
Sibisi’s manager, Colin Nathan, expressed delight with the ruling, saying it challenged BSA to pay attention to its internal issues and decision-making.
“The fact that the arbitration panel ruled in favour of Fule underscores that rules and regulations should be respected, though Hem’s team and the sanctioning committee relied on a policy which should be superseded by the regulations,” he said.
Hem’s promoter, Ayanda Matiti, had yet to react to the ruling.
Daily Dispatch