The winds of change are blowing, with new role players in the promotion of boxing in SA demonstrating their desire and strength to give the ailing sport a fresh start, renewed vigour, or a chance to become successful and popular again.
Credit goes to new Boxing SA (BSA) board chair Ayanda Khumalo, who is said to be big on good governance.
Companies are trickling in, and SABC and SuperSport are part of this journey. Two new role players – Aquilla Boxing Promotion and National Boxing Championships – have dished out superbly organised maiden tournaments.
Dewald Mostert – a businessman who trades under Legacy Boxing Promotion (LBP) – is taking it to another level. He will stage the WBC bridgerweight title fight between holder Kevin Lerena and Ukrainian Serhiy Radchenko at Times Square Sunbet Arena in Pretoria on May 1.
Lerena's defence will also be the first for an SA WBC champion at home.
The bridgerweight was first won in 2023 by Lukasz Rozanski, the Pole who was dethroned by Englishman Lawrence Okolie in May last year.
Okolie was to defend against Lerena but he relinquished the title in October.
It became easy for Mostert to bring the fight here because left-handed Lerena – a former horse-racing jockey – has the backing of big brands like World Sports Betting, SkyNet SA and Under Armour. Sunbet Arena are partners, and SuperSport has also committed to a live broadcast.
Mostert paid tribute to Goldstar and Commodore Defensive Strategies for their support and contribution. Lerena is currently the highest paid fighter in SA ; he earned no less than R1m as the IBO champion, earned almost R10m for the WBA heavyweight fight against Englishman Daniel Dubois at Tottenham Stadium in England in 2022. He was paid around R5m against Justis Huni in Saudi Arabia in March last year.
Mostert must have made Radchenko an offer he could not refuse to come to SA. "I'm paying a lot of money but I'm not complaining because I love what I'm doing," he said this week during the official announcement of his maiden tourney.
"South African boxing has world-class talent and we all need to rally behind it. With the continued support, unity and leadership, we can put our fighters on global stages. It is time to rise up."
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