A dispute has flared up between East London promoters over the SA featherweight title defence by champion Zolisa Batyi against Lindokuhle Khuzwayo of KwaZulu-Natal scheduled for the city in April.
Xaba Promotions (XB), who guide Khuzwayo’s career, are refusing to accept the terms of the fight from rivals KayB Promotions, including Khuzwayo’s purse and his time of arrival from Johannesburg, where he is based.
Among the demands by XP boss Ayanda Matiti is for Khuzwayo to arrive in East London five days before the fight, while KayB are scheduling him to arrive on the day of the weigh-in.
Matiti insisted that Khuzwayo’s mandatory status qualified him to receive fair treatment, responding to threats by Mzi Booi that Khuzwayo, who is rated fourth, would be bypassed if he did not accept the terms by the January 6 deadline.
Matiti argued that Batyi’s camp should abide by the regulations guiding a mandatory challenger, which include the provision of an even playing field.
“You may be under the illusion that you are doing me and my team a favour, but let me tell you that is not the case” Matiti wrote in an email.
“I have been noting how you send your communications and your irresponsible deadlines which you have no authority to make, at least not to me nor my team. However, that has not bothered me.”
Matiti said he had agreed to let KayB stage the fight rather than contest its promotional rights even though he had a scheduled tournament in February in which he had planned to feature Khuzwayo.
But Booi, who has promoted three of Batyi’s title defences, including his last one in November when the Nxarhuni-born champion outduelled Abdul-Aziz Kunert of Cape Town by points, said the deadline stood and he would not be shaken from his offer as Matiti did not pay challengers the purse he was demanding when staging SA title fights.
Booi is offering Khuzwayo R30,000, while Matiti is demanding R50,000, arguing the amount is what he will eventually get if his charge fights in his February show.
“I received an email from promoter Xaba. Unfortunately what he is demanding is not near to what he offered previous challengers of his champions,” he said.
“I gave him a reasonable offer, noting that Khuzwayo became a mandatory challenger by default, and Xaba’s aggressiveness and high level of undermining my ability to think and run my promotional business isn’t worth my response.”
Matiti questioned KayB advisers, blaming them for misleading Booi, who made his promotional debut in March, about the dynamics of the mandatory spot.
“I wish to indicate to you that you have not had any discussions with me except listening to the voice of your own instructions, what you want and what you think will happen.
“I must also indicate to you that your conduct and your miscalculations and I am not sure who is misguiding you so badly or poorly advising you. However, this will invariably move this thing away from you and I always wish for the promoters of the champion to stage mandatory defences of their champion.”
Booi said he would no longer engage in the matter and was moving down the ratings to find Batyi’s challenger.
He said he had escalated the impasse to BSA to handle it.
“The matter now is with BSA and I am continuing with the preparations for the tournament.”
The parties are expected to clash again regarding the date of the tournament as they are both targeting April 27 — a Freedom Day holiday — but are yet to officially secure it with BSA.
Matiti, who insisted that his charge would knock out Batyi, said Khuzwayo would not be bypassed because of the dispute.
BSA was not available for comment.
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