The ground-breaking National Boxing Championships series will go ahead despite the postponement of the second leg scheduled to be held at the Arena Holdings building in Parktown on May 30.
There were concerns that the series could be affected after its founder, Andile “Ace” Ncobo, appeared in the Bellville magistrate’s court in Cape Town on fraud and money laundering charges last week and was granted bail.
Ncobo, a former Fifa referee and PSL general manager, announced later that he had taken a break from SuperSport, where he was a soccer analyst.
However, NBC promoter and chief executive Anney Xala said the series would continue as planned, though the scheduled show at the end of the month had been postponed.
She declined to reveal the reason for the postponement, saying only that the board had made the decision.
“As the promoter and chief executive, I can confirm that the NBC will proceed as planned,” she said.
“However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the board resolved to postpone the tournament scheduled for May 30.”
The board consists of Craig Mukhuba, Lerato Mogorosi, Koketjo Tsebe and former Boxing SA chair Sifiso Shongwe
“A new date will be announced after the board meets to discuss further arrangements.”
Boxing SA acting chief executive Tsholofelo Lejaka said the series would not be affected as Ncobo was not one of its licensees.
“As far as we are concerned, this changes nothing as Ncobo is not our licensee,” he said.
The series punched off amid fanfare in March at the Arena Holdings building, fusing boxing with entertainment while also focusing on the commercial aspect by attracting high-profile government officials.
Featuring seven flyweight bouts competing over six rounds, the series was a resounding success, tapping into a different way of organising boxing tournaments.
It was the first tournament Xala staged, treating fans and businessmen and women to a five-star reception when the consortium introduced itself with a box-and-dine tournament.
Dubbed the “KO Festival”, her seven-bout card featured debutants and fighters with fewer than 10 matches because NBC is about development.
The show was broadcast live on SABC and also streamed by Arena on Viva Nation TV.
Xala said her goal was to introduce innovations to help boxing claim its rightful place as one of the top two sporting codes.
After the second leg at the end of the month, the third tournament was scheduled to be held in a yet-to-be-announced venue in East London as organisers concentrated on the two leading boxing provinces.
The flyweight division was set to be featured again as boxers battle for supremacy in a league format, with points awarded for wins.
While the Gauteng leg concentrated more on the commercial side, the East London event is expected to be focused more on the boxing aspect, owing to the popularity of the sport in the area and the many flyweight boxers produced.
More divisions are scheduled to be featured, modelling the series on the defunct development programme Baby Champs, which produced a slew of champions before it was discontinued due to budgetary constraints.
Daily Dispatch
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