The rapid rise in Covid-19-positive case, which resulted in the country moving to level 4 lockdown, has knocked out a boxing tournament that was scheduled to take place on July 30 at Graceland Casino in Mpumalanga.
“Rising numbers in Covid-19-positive cases and the banning on inter-provincial travelling left us with no option but to cancel our tournament,” said Arnold Nododile, CEO of J4Joy Promotion.
His tournament was to be headlined by fan favourite Nkululeko “Bulldog” Mhlongo in his pursuit to ending John “Section 29” Bopape’s five months of fame by dethroning him as the WBA Pan African middleweight champion. Bopape, from Alexandra, made headlines in March by defeating Mhlongo in Durban.
The main supporting bout of J4Joy’s tournament would have seen pocket-sized SA bantamweight female champion Melissa “Honey Bee” Miller from Eldorado Park, Johannesburg defending against Sharadene “Shinzo” Fortuin from the Eastern Cape.
“This is a blow to all of us, especially to boxers who are now being denied the opportunity to earn some money,” said Nododile.
“Like any other concerned South African, we urge our people to stick to Covid-19 health protocols for positive cases top drop so that we can continue with our beloved sport.”
Nododile added that contrary to reports they had no exclusive deal with the SABC. The national broadcaster aired live action from J4Joy Promotions tournament at Sandton Convention Centre last month.
“We negotiated our deal knowing too well that they will not pay us for broadcasting rights. We assured SABC that we will provide our own crew at no cost and these were the terms and conditions for our deal. Some promoters are not aware of that,” he said of the move, which raised murmurs from other promoters who have been trying to get live television dates with the SABC without success.
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