Mdantsane’s Nhlanhla Tyirha has been caught in a tug-of-war between promoters after being billed in tournaments in both November and December.
The former SA junior-flyweight champion was announced as among the boxers to feature in the Golden Gloves Promotions show at Emperors Palace on November 29.
Tyirha is scheduled to face world-rated Filipino Joey Canoy for the IBO mini-flyweight belt, reviving the fight which fell off the October 4 bill when Canoy reportedly turned it down.
Tyirha had been approached as a last-minute replacement for Zimbabwean-born Beaven Sibanda, who withdrew due to a training injury.
Eager to use the fight to breathe life into his quest to return to world ratings, Tyirha accepted it, only for Canoy to decline, having lost to the Mdantsane southpaw in his previous visit to the country.
Tyirha’s mentor, Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye, pleaded with Golden Gloves Promotions boss Rodney Berman to consider his charge if another opportunity became available.
True to his word, Berman secured the boxer his biggest bout — with a world title up for grabs to boot — for November 29.
However, this did not go down well with Tyirha’s current promoter, Loyiso Magqaza of Ground Up Sports Promotions & Events, who argued that he was not consulted about the fight.
Magqaza said he only saw the fight schedule on media platforms and the Golden Gloves website, with Njekanye also pleading ignorance of the fight.
“It has been brought to our attention that a statement was issued, claiming that a fight between Nhlanhla Tyirha and Joey Canoy has been sanctioned for the IBO minimum-weight world title on November 29,” he said.
“In the interest of maintaining transparency and ethical standards within the boxing fraternity, we would like to allay confusion among our fans and stop inaccurate information deliberately intended to mislead the public.
“Ground Up Sports Promotions & Events would like to confirm that Nhlanhla “Kilimanjaro” Tyirha has an existing contract with our company, as well as new management.
“His management and coach have no knowledge of this tournament and therefore his claimed participation in the said tournament, scheduled for the 29th is rather false.”
Magqaza said he was busy organising Tyirha’s ring return on a date in December in East London but was unable to disclose the identity of his opponent.
“Nhlanhla Tyirha is scheduled to fight under Ground Up Sports in a highly anticipated fight scheduled to take place in December 2025. Keep an eye on our official pages as more details on this tournament will be revealed soon.”
Tyirha previously scheduled a fight despite having another one coming up, taking two bouts in as many weeks in April.
He beat Phumlani Maloni at the Abbotsford Christian Centre in East London on April 11, before travelling to Cape Town to take on Sibanda on April 26, losing a debatable split decision.
But Magqaza insisted the only tournament Tyirha would appear in would be his event.
The boxer last fought in one of his shows when he beat over-matched Tanzanian journeyman Sunday Kiwale in August.
Daily Dispatch
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