Mdantsane boxer Nhlanhla Tyirha’s world title quest has been dealt a blow through what he claims is no fault of his own after being adjudged the loser against Beaven Sibanda in Cape Town last weekend.
Fighting for the second time after beating Pumlani Maloni a fortnight ago, Tyirha was hoping to return to the world ratings, where he once occupied lofty positions, by beating world-rated Sibanda in an eight-round mini-flyweight clash at Cabo Beach, V&A Waterfront
But after he appeared to have done enough to win, with one judge voting for him, he lost by a split decision.
The controversial loss infuriated his camp, who pointed to factors which they claimed had led them to lose concentration during the bout.
Tyirha’s manager, Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye, alleged that officials had teamed up against his boxer to deny him success when the ring inspector seized an ointment he was using to stop the bleeding from Tyirha’s cut.
“The ointment I was using is permissible but somehow this inspector yelled at us and seized it, saying we were not allowed to use it,” he said.
However, after being verified by the fight supervisor, the ointment was returned to Tyirha’s handlers to use.
“You could see everything was designed to unsettle us even long before the scorecards were announced,” he said.
Njekanye said Tyirha had outboxed the Zimbabwean-born Sibanda in the majority of rounds — a view supported by many boxing fans who shared their opinions on social media.
Some said a draw would have been a more acceptable outcome.
The loss, which snapped Tyirha’s two-fight winning streak, including his revenge for his upset knock-out loss to Malawian journeyman George Kandulo, may have blown his aspirations to return to the world ratings, which evaporated after the Kandulo setback.
However, Njekanye said his charge would keep fighting to fulfil his potential.
As an 18-year-old, Tyirha equalled the SA record of winning the national title six months after turning professional, with just four fights.
The loss against Sibanda was his third in 11 bouts, but with age still on his side, the left-hander can salvage his career, starting with a shot at the SA title held by his former stablemate, Mthokozisi Ngxaka.
Njekanye said the boxer would take any bout that would advance his career.
“Like I said, the time to pick and choose is over; all we want is to keep active and see where that takes us,” he said.
“If an SA title shot comes, we will take it.”
Daily Dispatch
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