East London may still host the national boxing awards after provincial sports MEC Pemmy Majodina confirmed that she had spoken to the Buffalo City Metro to come on board.
The awards were initially scheduled to be held at the Boardwalk Casino in Port Elizabeth where Majodina’s department has a long-standing partnership to host other events, including the provincial sports awards.
After the return of the national boxing awards following a six-year absence when KwaZulu-Natal hosted them this past January, Majodina and her national boss Fikile Mbalula revealed that Eastern Cape would be next in line as hosts next year.
However due to the absence of adequate venues in East London, Majodina was forced to take the hosting rights to Port Elizabeth.
This sparked a wide condemnation from Buffalo City boxing circles especially as East London is regarded as the main boxing mecca in the land while the sport is dwindling in PE.
Furthermore the assuming of control of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro by the Democratic Alliance is also seen by boxing followers negatively.
Majodina promised to hold talks with NMBM to come on board as hosting the awards is an expensive exercise.
In KZN there were at least five funders of the awards function with Ethekwini Municipality being one of them.
Majodina refused to say the consideration of Buffalo City Metro to host the awards was due to lack of cooperation by the NMBM. She said if the local municipality could come on board and demand hosting rights the awards would be switched to East London.
“Our only problem with East London is that there is no venue to host these awards with the only one present being very expensive,” she said.
“I have spoken to the BCM to come on board and assist in hiring the venue and we will give the awards to them.”
The only adequate venue in East London is the International Convention Centre but its exorbitant fee has repelled most companies.
Majodina admitted that taking the awards to Boardwalk Casino was due to the astronomical costs of the ICC.
“This is why I am saying if BCM can shoulder the costs of hiring the ICC then the awards are theirs,” she said.
Several attempts to get comment from BCM proved fruitless but the metro is understood to have a budget allocated to sporting events.
The sports budget funded several boxing tournaments last year with at least four promoters getting R800000 each while more others got R150000 to organise development shows.
BCM has never hosted the national boxing awards despite its rich history with the sport.
In fact the only time it hosted a national boxing event was when local boxing stakeholders kicked out the board of the then SA National Boxing Control Commission before the name later changed to Boxing SA with the new Boxing Act of 2001.
But the region is renowned for hosting world-class tournaments with local spectators considered as among the most vociferous in the world.
Pemmy dangles awards carrot
The awards were initially scheduled to be held at the Boardwalk Casino in Port Elizabeth where Majodina’s department has a long-standing partnership to host other events, including the provincial sports awards.
After the return of the national boxing awards following a six-year absence when KwaZulu-Natal hosted them this past January, Majodina and her national boss Fikile Mbalula revealed that Eastern Cape would be next in line as hosts next year.
However due to the absence of adequate venues in East London, Majodina was forced to take the hosting rights to Port Elizabeth.
This sparked a wide condemnation from Buffalo City boxing circles especially as East London is regarded as the main boxing mecca in the land while the sport is dwindling in PE.
Furthermore the assuming of control of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro by the Democratic Alliance is also seen by boxing followers negatively.
Majodina promised to hold talks with NMBM to come on board as hosting the awards is an expensive exercise.
In KZN there were at least five funders of the awards function with Ethekwini Municipality being one of them.
Majodina refused to say the consideration of Buffalo City Metro to host the awards was due to lack of cooperation by the NMBM. She said if the local municipality could come on board and demand hosting rights the awards would be switched to East London.
“Our only problem with East London is that there is no venue to host these awards with the only one present being very expensive,” she said.
“I have spoken to the BCM to come on board and assist in hiring the venue and we will give the awards to them.”
The only adequate venue in East London is the International Convention Centre but its exorbitant fee has repelled most companies.
Majodina admitted that taking the awards to Boardwalk Casino was due to the astronomical costs of the ICC.
“This is why I am saying if BCM can shoulder the costs of hiring the ICC then the awards are theirs,” she said.
Several attempts to get comment from BCM proved fruitless but the metro is understood to have a budget allocated to sporting events.
The sports budget funded several boxing tournaments last year with at least four promoters getting R800000 each while more others got R150000 to organise development shows.
BCM has never hosted the national boxing awards despite its rich history with the sport.
In fact the only time it hosted a national boxing event was when local boxing stakeholders kicked out the board of the then SA National Boxing Control Commission before the name later changed to Boxing SA with the new Boxing Act of 2001.
But the region is renowned for hosting world-class tournaments with local spectators considered as among the most vociferous in the world.
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