Broadcaster switches off-button for Battle at Orient

On paper the joint venture tournament by Xaba Promotions and Events, Zikhali Promotions and Sakhisizwe should be good enough to attract television coverage.

But due to the rotation of SABC-TV in its coverage to all the provinces, the triple national tournament title scheduled to be held at Orient Theatre on November 27 will probably miss out as the national broadcaster is targeting Cape Town as the next turn to get television coverage.

This even though the show in Cape Town which besides being mired in controversy over the selection of China Mpololo as a promoter when he had never promoted a boxing event before, pales in comparison to the Orient show.

The show in the city will feature a trilogy between Macbute Sinyabi and Oscar Chauke with the Mdantsane boxer entering the ring as a challenger for Chauke’s SA featherweight crown.

The pair has clashed twice with disputed outcomes and after the end of this month their rivalry will come to an end.

Bongani Silila and former title-holder Vuyani Khwesa will dispute the SA junior- flyweight diadem held by the former.

While Kheswa is on the decline, he still possesses boxing savvy that might flummox the wild swinging Silila in a fight that will involve contrasting styles.

And finally after close to two years the SA junior-bantamweight crown will be contested when former foes Thembelani Maphuma and Lindile Tshemese vie for it.

The title has been a bone of contention with Sithembiso Faye the worst off as he contested in two times only to be told that the crown belonged to somebody else.

First Faye beat Maphuma for what he thought was the vacant title only to be told that Siphosethu Mvula had not vacated it.

Then Faye battled for the crown against Tshemese only for their fight to be relegated to a non-title clash when Boxing SA said Mvula had not submitted a formal abdication of the throne.

Faye then vowed never to fight for the title again as he felt BSA was out to frustrate him and prevent him from fulfilling his dream of becoming a national champion.

Now the honour to fight for the crown has fallen on the lap of Tshemese for his draw fight against Faye while Maphuma rebounded with a win after his loss to Faye.

Another potentially thrilling shootout will be between Mfusi Maxhayi and Bonakele Bhikitsha tussling in a junior-featherweight division.

Both boxers atoned themslves in their last fights with Maxhayi going down swinging against Bongani Mahlangu in an SA junior-featherweight challenge while Bhikitsha inflicted the first professional loss to Phila Gola in the same show.

Asked if he had approached SABC-TV to air the tournament, XPE boss Ayanda Matiti said he was of the understanding the national broadcaster would be in Cape Town on the same date.

“I am told that November is the turn of Cape Town to get a television coverage,” he said.

However, the Cape Town show is yet to be formally confirmed due to the infighting between promoters there over its television rights.