The row surrounding Landile Ngxeke’s departure to join Colin Nathan in Johannesburg is set to continue after Nathan said he was ready to defend the defection.
Ngxeke, from Sada, dropped a bombshell recently when he left his long-time promoter, Xaba Promotions, just when he was on the verge of fighting for a world title.
XP boss Ayanda Matiti orchestrated his move up the world ratings, culminating in him occupying the fifth spot in the IBF and fourth in the WBO.
Reports began to surface that he was already approved to challenge the vacant IBF bantamweight belt relinquished by Japan Junto Nakatani.
Matiti, who invested big money in the rise of the 30-year-old, guiding him to the SA junior-bantamweight and bantamweight titles in the process, vowed to fight the departure.
Ngxeke becomes the third high-profile boxer to leave Matiti on the verge of a world title shot for Nathan after Phumelela Cafu in June 2024 and Mpumelelelo Tshabalala in September.
Nathan secured Cafu an immediate world title shot, with Cafu beating Kosei Tanaka to win the WBO junior-bantamweight title in October, and has also guided Tshabalala for an IBF junior-flyweight title eliminator against Mexican Sergio Mendoza Cordova.
In both instances, Matiti said he had already started negotiations for the boxers to get their big fights but Nathan usurped the opportunity.
“But this time he is not getting away with it,” he said.
Matiti showed a series of messages between him and Sean Gibbons, who manages Jose Salas Reyes, who is scheduled to contest the vacant IBF title against Ngxeke.
But Nathan denied poaching the boxer, saying Ngxeke had been hounding him about joining him for a while.
“Ngxeke approached me when I was down in East London for one of my fighters in August and I told him back then that some people would probably not be happy to see us together,” he said.
To say I am part of a syndicate is nonsensical. I do everything by the book within boxing rules because boxing is also a business
He insisted that he did everything to sign Ngxeke by the book, as the boxer was a free agent with no contract with anyone.
“I signed him within the realms of the Boxing Act and BSA rules, hence we signed a BSA-endorsed management contract.”
Nathan shot down accusations that he was part of a syndicate pouncing on SA world-rated boxers on the verge of fighting for world titles.
“To say I am part of a syndicate is nonsensical. I do everything by the book within boxing rules because boxing is also a business.”
Nathan said Ngxeke would be promoted by Boxing5 Promotions, headed by Larry Wainstein, who formally met the boxer at the weekend.
Ngxeke is already in Johannesburg as he awaits news of his next move, expected to be a world title shot.
Daily Dispatch
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