BOXING MECCA: Vetyeka jabs cash claims, clears the air as officials cry foul

But in this rare interview Vetyeka who proves to be as gifted with the gab as he is with the jab as he set the record straight and even make startling revelations against those who claim he is a bad boy.

BM: You have a reputation of hating training. Is that where that comes from?

SV: I do not hate training. You can ask Moruti Mthalane (his former stable at Nick Durandt’s gymnasium) and he will tell you that I am a gym freak.

BM: You also have a bad reputation of jumping from one stable to the other.

SV: When I do not get a satisfaction from trainers I see no need to stick around.

BM: Why is everyone accusing you of owing them some money Maveve? Is there anyone who you owe?

SV: I do not owe any one any thing. Perhaps the only person who can say I really owe him is Damean Durandt (Nick Durandt’s son).

BM: Nick Durandt, Rodney Berman, Elias Tshabalala also claim that you took some money from them.

SV: This is actually hilarious. I know Nick has been spreading rumours that I owe him and even came to me before my fight with Chris John to demand it. Let me tell you this, Nick secured sponsorship deal for me which paid me R10 000 per month. The sponsor only paid me for two months before they stopped. When I inquired from Nick he said he was trying to find out what happened. In the meanwhile he gave me cash to pay for my rent saying he would recover his money from the sponsorship company. I do not know what happened after that. And I must add that he took 40% of the money from the sponsorship. Then he said he would deduct the balance of the money from my fight against Daude Jordan (when Vetyeka beat him for the IBO featherweight title) and he indeed did that and then acknowledged to me that I had settled the balance. I am saying I am owing his son because I never paid him for the pair of boots he ordered for me.

BM: Why did you not?

SV: I asked him to order these boots for me and while the order delayed to come through I saw a better pair and bought it far cheaper than what Damean was charging. He saw the boots I had bought when he brought his order and I told him that I no longer needed them. He asked me how much I paid for my pair and I told him and he even acknowledged that he would have charged me double the amount. But he refused to take back saying he had already incurred losses by ordering them. I ended up wearing them but I never paid him. When Nick met me in Australia for my fight against John all he asked was Damean’s money and not his because he knew that I do not owe him a cent. I told him that the issue of the boots was between me and Damean.

BM: And Rodney...?

SV: If there is anyone who owes Rodney it must be Elias because he used to borrow money from him saying that it was for my diet. I recall when he got R15000 from Rodney and gave me R9000 and took the rest. And after my fight against Caro (Giovanni for the WBC silver title), Elias deducted the money saying that he was to pay Rodney and I heard that he never did.

BM: But Elias also claimed that you owe him.

SV: Yes he did but this emanates from a car I bought using his driver’s licence. He said he gave me

R20 000 to assist me but that was a lie. I even told him that he should go to the police.

BM: Ok Maveve, enough about this owing stuff. Who would you like to fight now?

SV: I want to fight Walters (Nicholas) because I feel I need to beat a big name like him for people to take me seriously in the featherweight division.

BM,: Are you saying that because he could not make weight for his last fight and now you think you will get him at a time when he is said to be going through a lot of personal stuff?

SV: Not at all but I feel it in my bones that Walters’ style is tailor-made for me.

BM: What happened against Nonito Donaire?

SV: You know I have lost all respect for Donaire after the stunt he pulled in our last fight. He practically begged the referee to stop the fight after a minor headbutt saying that he could not see. The cut was not that severe to cause the fight to be stopped.

BM: I hear that you got almost nothing for your WBC bantamweight title challenge against Japanese Hosumi Hasegawa.

SV: I was paid a paltry R74 000 and I still do not know what happened to the rest of the money. I asked Branco (his former promoter) and he said I was supposed to get more. I asked Nick and again I was told stories.

BM: But at least the situation must be better now that you are with Andile Sidinile.

SV: We worked so well together with Bra Ace. I have even managed to buy myself a house and I am happily married also.