Cash wrangle behind Sityatha quit shock

The saga surrounding Lwandile Sityatha’s decision to end his ring career has taken another twist, with his father saying the boxer is retiring because he is owed money by his promoter.

Sityatha, a former WBF and IBO world junior bantamweight champion, dropped a bombshell when he announced on Facebook that he was quitting boxing.

This comes just a few weeks after he won the WBO International bantamweight title by beating Filipino Ernest Saulong at Orient Theatre on December 18.

His decision not only shocked the boxing fraternity but his management team headed by promoter Ayanda Matiti.

Sityatha refused to attend a meeting arranged by Matiti this week, where influential people including officials from the provincial department of sports, recreation, arts and culture had hoped to persuade him to change his mind about leaving the sport.

Instead, Sityatha went to his village in Weza, Willowvale.

This after a photo of Sityatha in a drunken stupor, surrounded by empty beer bottles, was posted on Facebook.

Yesterday, his father, Christopher, admitted that his son had informed him that he would no longer box. He said Sityatha was bitter about the purse he received for his fight against Saulong.

“He says he was paid peanuts in his last fight,” Christopher said.

The boxer also complains that he is still owed money from his previous fight against Gideon Buthelezi, whom he beat to retain his IBO title, which he later relinquished to move to the bantamweight division.

While no figures were released, Sityatha is believed to have received about R200000 for fighting Saulong. He has been commanding purses of about R500000, and felt he was underpaid.

However, a snap survey by the Dispatch revealed that Sityatha is one of the most well-paid boxers in the land, with even the country’s premier pound-for-pound boxer Zolani Tete getting paid R500 000 when he fought in Britain against Paul Butler to retain his more prestigious IBF title last March.

Matiti admitted that he had to deduct a portion of the purses of some of the boxers that fought on December 18, including the Tete brothers, when his funders withdrew at the last moment.

Regarding owing the boxer money from previous fights, Matiti said he had an arrangement to invest a percentage of his contracted boxers’ purse earnings for rainy days. This applied to all his contracted boxers such as Makazole Tete, Macbute Sinyabi and others. “This has enabled them to do something worthwhile with their money, including buying property, and Sityatha currently owns two houses as well as a car,” Matiti said.

Sityatha’s father confirmed that his son owned properties and an SUV.

“I am trying to speak to him not to quit, although I understand his frustrations.” Sityatha, snr, said he planned to take the boxer back to East London for talks with his management.

Regarding the photo on Facebook, Christopher admitted that his son has developed a drinking habit. “I told him that he cannot use alcohol to drown his sorrows because that will portray him in bad light. I do not know what to do because on the other hand I understand his frustrations, but then again he should not quit boxing.”