The saga over the SA junior-flyweight boxing title is yet to be resolved after champion Siseko Teyisi said he was yet to decide on his next move.
Teyisi was ordered to defend the belt against mandatory challenger Athenkosi Thongwana, but opted to fight for the IBF intercontinental title, for which he beat Filipino Elmar Zamora at East London’s Orient Theatre a fortnight ago.
Thongwana’s camp insisted that Teyisi was due to fulfil his mandatory title defence obligation after his voluntary defence window expired on July 11, having honoured it by beating Abongile Jacob in April.
Thongwana, from Duncan Village, reportedly submitted a challenge six days later, but it was delayed in reaching Teyisi’s camp, prompting the IBF to proceed with his intercontinental title clash until the move was flagged by Boxing SA’s sanctioning committee a few days before the fight.
The committee refused to sanction the IBF intercontinental until Teyisi had vacated the SA belt.
However, Teyisi’s promoter, Xaba Promotions, successfully challenged the committee’s decision by escalating the impasse to the Boxing SA board, which reportedly gave the fight the green light.
However, the board conceded flaws in the process and decided to compensate Thongwana in a bizarre move.
After Teyisi, from Mdantsane, scored a lopsided points victory over Zamora, he is expected to honour his mandatory fight against Thongwana.
However, there had been reports that his next fight could be against someone else, a move which could unleash another boardroom battle regarding the SA title.
XP boss Ayanda Matiti confirmed that Teyisi was still the champion in the division, but declined to say when he would next face Thongwana.
“People are mistaken to think Teyisi is no longer a champion when he still is,” he said.
“We are preparing for his ring return, but I cannot say it will be against Thongwana.
“We have bigger plans for our boxers, and that includes Teyisi, so for now let’s wait and see what will happen.”
There had been reports that Teyisi could vacate the title to pave the way for stablemate Gcobani Mdeliswa to contest it.
Mdeliswa scored a fifth-round knockout victory over Akhona Msindeli on the undercard of the Teyisi-Zamora bout.
Mdeliswa is rated third after Thongwana and KwaZulu-Natal’s Mfanavule Ntuli, who fought to a draw against him in June.
While he dominated Msindeli before forcing a stoppage, Mdeliswa, who recorded only his second win with two draws and a loss, is yet to prove his readiness for an SA title shot, especially against a seasoned campaigner like Thongwana.
Teyisi is yet to suffer a loss in eight bouts with six stoppages, but has failed to score a knockout in his last two bouts.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.