‘I won’t stand for the exploitation of boxers’ — Mthalane

Young boxing trainer Sanele Mthalane, who has produced three KwaZulu-Natal provincial champions, says some people misunderstand him as being troublesome when he raises issues that affect fighters.

“I get on well with people who believe in the truth,” said Mthalane, the younger brother of retired SA junior-featherweight champion Innocent “The Baby-Faced Assassin” Mthalane and former two-time IBF flyweight world champion Moruti “Babyface” Mthalane from Lindelani near Durban.

“I won’t give up until boxers are treated with respect like other athletes.”

—  Sanele Mthalane, Boxing trainer

“Obviously, I will be a problem to those who don’t like the truth.

“I won’t stand for the exploitation of boxers... that is what causes problems with me and other people, especially trainers, because I am viewed as a bad seed.”

Mthalane says he’s been like this from when he was involved in the amateur ranks.

”I have always stood for fairness... the battlefield must be level, with equal treatment for fighters and neutrality from ring officials,“ he said.

”Just recently, I turned down a fight for [super bantamweight] Sanele [“Skelemkey”] Maduna to travel by bus to fight Lwando [“BaseLine”] Mgabi on June 21 in East London.

“I don’t have a boxer in my gym [in Durban] who will be transported by bus to East London.

“That’s a very long journey, almost the whole day on the road, which is a health hazard.

“By the time the fighter arrives there, he’s already exhausted, and then he must still go for the weigh-in and press conference before he can look for food.

“I can’t take that risk just because I want my percentage [from the boxer’s purse money],” he said.

“That’s blood money, and I don’t want it.”

Mthalane refers to his book The Naked Truth — To Be Seen, Could Be Assassinated, which was published last year.

“Some of the topics include the exorbitant fees that sanctioning boxing bodies charge boxers to fight for their belts,” he said.

Mthalane, who is fondly known as “Chwepheshe” or “Bhunu Elimnyama”, added: “I am fighting this alone; I won’t give up until boxers are treated with respect like other athletes in different sporting codes.”

Sowetan