The blanket of inactivity facing boxers in the country has led to the emergence of young female promoters keen to make their mark, with Mdantsane’s Sisanda Matshoba joining the fray.
Already provinces such as the Free State, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal have seen the presence of female promoters, with some having organised tournaments.
In Middelburg, two women, Relebogile Mashego and Megan Pieterse, kicked off their promoting career with a show staged under the banner of Main Bout Boxing Promotions (MBBP), which was scheduled to be headlined by Mthatha’s Phaphama Rhonono defending his SA welterweight title against Jabulani Makhense in August.
Though the fight was cancelled when Makhense failed to make the weight, the tournament continued.
Matshoba has decided to follow suit by launching Sisonke Sisa Production, which will be focused on promoting boxing at a development level.
Though it will work with other boxing clubs, the promotion will concentrate on giving opportunities to boxers training at the Sisonke Boxing Club, which is renowned for producing a slew of talent across the board.
The gymnasium has produced champions such as Siyakholwa Kuse, who remains the only one in the province to win the coveted WBC title after dethroning Filipino Melvin Jerusalem for the mini-flyweight version in May.
Though Kuse achieved the feat under Manny Fernandes in Johannesburg, his roots are still at Sisonke.
The club also boasts SA junior-bantamweight champion Moyisi Booi, SA junior-flyweight contender Abongile Jacob and scores of amateur boxers, many of whom won medals at the national championships in Cape Town in July.
However, the biggest challenge is the lack of fighting opportunities, with Jacob at risk of surrendering his lofty rating.
Matshoba said plans were afoot to bring Jacob back by December to save his rating, which is expected to improve to the top spot.
Matshoba, who is the daughter of former professional boxer Nkoi Matshoba, who continues to develop boxers at the club, said the promotion company was launched to develop talent in the amateur and professional ranks.
"Besides our objective to give young boxers a stage to shine, we also want to integrate boxing into the value chain of entertainment, sport tourism and provincial political and heritage calendar,” she said.
Already, the company has applied for the provincial Women In Boxing Series, with the winning promoter expected to be announced by the department of sport, recreation, arts and culture.
It has also tendered for the well-documented Steve Tshwete Boxing Series, which is expected to punch off in Mpumalanga on November 21.
“We want to make our own mark in these big events to advance the careers of young female and male boxers,” Matshoba said.
Boxing SA chief executive officer Tsholofelo Lejaka said that though promoters for the series were yet to be announced, the focus would be on young ones who are yet to make their mark in the industry.
“We want these tournaments to serve as an apprenticeship for both young promoters and ring officials,” he said.
