It’s all ‘done and dusted’ as Durandt quits

Flambouyant trainer Nick Durandt is calling time on his long boxing career and insists that he is done with the sport.

The 53-year-old Durandt first hinted his intentions to Tiso Blackstar on Tuesday and reiterated his plans after almost three decades in stronger terms yesterday.

Boxing SA’s deadline for all licence renewals was on Tuesday and Durandt said he had decided against renewing it, effectively ending his 29-year association with the fistic sport.

The accomplished manager – who has produced over 95 South African champions in all 17 weight divisions, over 30 world champions and 27 international champions – sounded angry yesterday when he announced that he was quitting his life’s passion yesterday.

‘‘I am done and dusted with boxing,” the trainer said.

‘‘I think it will be fair that I call a press conference to give all media the opportunity to ask questions so that I don’t have to deal with them again.”

Durandt said he had informed BSA Gauteng manager Archie Nyingwa of his intention to quit, but the official tried to talk him out of it.

‘‘He (Nyingwa) pleaded with me to reconsider my decision, but I told him I have retired,” he said.

But Nyingwa disputed this and said the trainer renewed his licence on Tuesday.

‘‘Nick did everything yesterday (Tuesday), including paying fees for the renewal of his licence,” he said yesterday.

Nyingwa insisted that he had documentation in front of him proving that Durandt met Tuesday’s deadline.

But an unfazed Durandt maintained that he did not renew his licence as a trainer and only submitted his team’s paperwork. He said the documentation belonged to his son Damien, who is an assistant trainer, and other members of his technical team.

KwaZulu-Natal promoter Thulani Magudulela said there was no reason to doubt that Durandt has quit boxing as the colourful trainer also told him the same thing on Tuesday.

Durandt was one of the most colourful figures in boxing and is credited for producing South Africa’s first WBC champion in Thulani ‘‘Sugar Boy” Malinga, who dethroned Nigel Benn as the super-middleweight holder at Telewest Arena in the United Kingdom on March 2 1996.

Among the many other fighters he has taken to world titles, he also lists Jacob Mofokeng, Cassius Baloyi, Phillip Ndou, Silence Mabuza, Isaac Hlatsh-wayo, Jeffrey Mathebula, Malcolm Klassen, Siphiwe Nonqayi and Moruti Mthalane.