Dubious decisions spoil what could have been a good boxing tournament

The two-day seminar Boxing SA had with ring officials in Bloemfontein recently was a futile exercise, if one considers the conduct by some ring officials in Limpopo at the weekend.

Boxing SA chair, Ayanda Khumalo said last month: “We view this training as a foundation for a long-term improvement programme. We are confident that this seminar will serve as the cornerstone for revitalised, professional, and world-class officiating corps in SA.”

Two weeks later, some Boxing SA ring officials displayed their ineptitude for officiating during a boxing tournament at the University of Venda stadium on Friday night.

The well-organised three-title tournament was staged by promoter Phathutshedzo Dongola and attracted a big crowd.

I am taking notes of what is happening here tonight.

—  Boxing SA COO Mandla Ntlanganiso

From the fans’ perspective, it was a night to remember.

But proceedings on the technical side were embarrassing, turning the tournament into a comedy of errors.

It began with paramedics leaving just before the start of the third bout.

A source told Sowetan they had received a call from their boss, instructing them to leave because Dongola had not paid for their services.

If true, Boxing SA must punish Dongola severely.

Unfortunately, the referees on the night were a big disappointment.

One conducted the mandatory eight count for a fallen boxer when his opponent was not in the furthest neutral corner as per the regulations.

Simply put, the referee must wait for the boxer who delivered the knockdown punch to reach a neutral corner before he can conduct the mandatory eight count.

The second embarrassing incident endangered a boxer’s health.

The referee just watched when Khensahosi “Junior” Makondo was pummelled from corner to corner by Tshikungulu Khorombi for the vacant Limpopo junior middleweight belt.

Any trained referee would have seen that Makondo needed help, especially when Tshikungulu landed about 18 unanswered punches.

Makondo’s legs were unable to carry him and his facial expression was that of a man whose spirit was broken.

He was trapped in his corner and could not avoid the fusillade of punches thrown at him.

The regulations are clear: when a boxer cannot defend themselves or absorbs excessive punishment, the referee must stop the fight immediately.

The referee has the authority to stop a bout at any point if a boxer is unable to intelligently fight back or is taking severe, unanswered blows.

The third incident involved the scoring of a 10-round fight for the provincial lightweight belt between Sifiso “The Gold” Hlongwane and Cedrick “TLB” Chauke.

Hlongwane is a class-act boxer who selects his punches carefully and uses lateral movements to avoid getting caught in unnecessary exchanges.

Chauke is a pressure fighter whose every punch is meant to harm.

But his eagerness made him a sitting duck, and Hlongwane dropped him for a count early in their bout.

Hlongwane’s mobility confounded Chauke, whose aggression was ineffective, as most of his punches landed on Hlongwane’s abdomen.

But in the end, one judge scored the fight 96-95 for Chauke while a second judge scored it 97-91 for Hlongwane.

The deciding score was 97-94 for Chauke, which will negatively affect Hlongwane’s No 4 ranking by Boxing SA.

Boxing SA COO Mandla Ntlanganiso attended the tournament.

“There is no excuse [for the poor officiating] ... not after the two-day seminar we had with ring officials in Bloemfontein,” he said. “I am taking notes of what is happening here tonight.”

Dubious judging and poor refereeing have plagued local boxing in recent years.

Critics say Boxing SA lacks punitive measures, or the regulatory framework, to adequately deal with pandemic-level bad officiating.

Hopes for Limpopo to produce champions were shattered when bantamweight Akani Sambu was rescued from total destruction in the third round against hard-hitting Filipino Alvin “Pitbull Tyson” Camique.

Referee Riaan van Rensburg was verbally abused by fans. Luckily they were not physical with him, as there was no ringside security.

Limpopo, a home for boxing stars including Cassius “Hit Man” Baloyi — the only boxer in SA to win six world titles in three different weight divisions — still does not have a national boxing champion.