Green light for Fuzile to lace up his gloves after medical concerns

The entire Duncan Village boxing community must have breathed a collective sigh of relief after its boxing star Azinga Fuzile was cleared by Boxing SA to fight.

Boxing SA boss Tsholofelo Lejaka said the Fuzile medical saga was now a thing of the past and the talented unbeaten southpaw would step into the ring whenever his promoters decide to organise a fight for him.

The announcement ends a painful period in Fuzile’s infancy boxing career when he saw it hanging by a thread after he was said to have an MRI scan before his last fight in September last year.

This when he sensationally knocked out fancied Tshifhiwa Munyai in three one-sided rounds in the semifinal stage of the Rodney Berman-inspired Featherweight Super Series (S4) at Emperors Palace.

By flooring Munyai three times en route to the brutal stoppage, the Duncan Village star booked himself a berth in the finals against Lerato Dlamini, who eliminated Mdantsane veteran Simpiwe Vetyeka on points in another semifinal clash.

But Fuzile’s moment of glory appeared to be turning into a nightmare when reports began to surface that he had failed his medicals before the Munyai fight.

Berman refused to progress with the S4 final clash against Dlamini until the boxer’s medical condition had been cleared.

Throughout the saga, Fuzile’s promoter, Rumble Africa Promotions (RAP) maintained that he was cleared by several doctors who examined him after the fight.

But BSA board chairman Dr Peter Ngatane confirmed to the Daily Dispatch that something was detected on the boxer’s MRI test results.

Ngatane said BSA would arrange its own doctors to examine the boxer to see if the negative results claims by his promoters were valid.

Yesterday, Lejaka said Fuzile was cleared by doctors appointed by BSA to conduct the tests.

“We are happy to confirm that Azinga Fuzile has been cleared to fight going forward,” he said.

So confident were RAP of the boxer’s medical condition that they went ahead and organised a fight for him next weekend at Orient Theatre.

Lejaka also conceded that RAP had indeed submitted a tournament application with BSA for a date on April 8.

“We can confirm that RAP’s application for a tournament date is with us but so far no decision has been made if it will be approved or not.”

RAP boss Teris Ntutu said the latest results did not come as a shock as they had maintained all along that Fuzile was medically fit.

“We had no problem availing the boy when BSA wanted to do their own medical tests because we were confident of our story,” he said.

While RAP had been maintaining punching in Fuzile’s corner, the official confirmation by BSA is expected to lift a heavy lid on the uncertainty of the career of one of the brightest boxers in the land.

Ntutu had threatened legal action against Berman if he did not fulfil the S4 contract he had signed with the boxer. This after Berman revealed that he had since replaced Fuzile with Sydney Maluleke to face Dlamini, a bout scheduled to take place at Emperors Palace next weekend.

Berman said he would engage with Fuzile’s management about the way forward. While Lejaka refused to divulge more information on the saga emphasising that it was sensitive, insiders revealed that BSA could have been liable to the lawsuit that could have resulted from the matter.

This is due to the fact BSA medical requirements do not insist on submission of MRI scan results before a boxer could be approved to fight.

The MRI scan was insisted on by the WBC as it sanctioned the fight as an eliminator for its vacant international title.