The cornerstone of journalism is the emphasis around the inability to interfere with a story.
But this is hard when Xolisani “Nomeva” Ndongeni is the subject of debate.
The Mount Frere-born boxer who honed his boxing skills in Duncan Village still does not know why he is constantly on the receiving end of misfortune in boxing. This follows the latest episode in which his fight was called off at the last moment in Cape Town, when he was scheduled to fight Ghanaian Razak Nettey in Stellenbosch last Sunday.
After initially refusing to speak about the debacle, Ndongeni finally agreed to reflect on the issue.
BOXING MECCA: This is one of those interviews that I hate Nomeva because I know how you must be feeling about this but still I need to hear it from you.
XOLISANI NDONGENI: Firstly, I must apologise for the way I reacted to you when you first called about this matter. I was gutted and I vented my anger to anyone including you and that was unfair.
BM: No sweat Meva, you do not need to apologise. I know you had never spoken to me like that before so I understood your frustration. Like I said, it is tough for me too, because I will be opening up a wound but I still need to ask you.
XN: To say I am disappointed would be a gross understatement. I trained hard for this fight as you know I do in all my fights and I was so looking forward to putting in to practice what I learnt in my last fight in the US. The opponent was not world class but, still, he would have provided me with an opportunity to show how far I have gone since fighting in the US.
BM: I saw the videos you posted on social media of you training your butt off and I could tell that you wanted to make an impression.
XN: As you probably know, I have never been a boxer who relies on others to train. I always push myself because I know what I want. No trainer of mine can complain about me being physically unfit, so yes, it was the same with this guy as well.
BM: Let’s go back to the fight. How did you begin to suspect that this fight was not going to happen?
XN: I never suspected anything, especially when it secured television coverage. But then, again, I am a boxer, so I did not pay to much attention to issues behind the scenes. It was only when we were supposed to go to the weigh-in when things began to unravel. We were told that there were issues still being sorted out so we should wait a bit for the weigh-in. Eventually we were informed that the fight had been called off.
BM: I can imagine how you must have felt. The Premier Boxing League (PBL) debacle must have come back to you.
XN: That was exactly my thought. Remember, I was also not paid my purse for the tournament I participated in in April last year, so that thought also came flooding back. I wondered if I was cursed or I am not supposed to be in this thing.
BM: This all happens when people are eager to see you as Boxer of the Year. Some people are still not convinced that you deserved the award so they would have watched you with a critical eye.
XN: Like I said, there were a number of issues riding on this fight. It was going to be my first fight after being nominated Boxer of the Year. It was also going to be my first since fighting in US.
BM: You told me you were no longer interested in boxing and you may even consider quitting. Are you still saying that?
XN: Look, I am hugely disappointed but I am not going to throw in the towel because I am not a quitter. Yes I have not been to the gym as yet but I will summon all my strength to go back to the gym. I will not let this unfortunate incident deter me.
BM: Have you spoken with your promoter Rodney Berman about this latest episode?
XN: As a matter of fact, I am about to go into his office as we speak. I have not spoken to him since the debacle now I need to know where I stand.
BM: Did he call you or you invited yourself?
XN: I invited myself!
BM: You know I have my own reservations about all this but I would rather I do not say anything at this stage until you have spoken with Rodney. But if it comes to a push I am afraid I will call a spade a spade Nomeva.
XN: I know what you mean but like I said I need to hear from Rodney about his plans for me.
‘Nomeva’ still raging over Nettey non-fight
But this is hard when Xolisani “Nomeva” Ndongeni is the subject of debate.
The Mount Frere-born boxer who honed his boxing skills in Duncan Village still does not know why he is constantly on the receiving end of misfortune in boxing. This follows the latest episode in which his fight was called off at the last moment in Cape Town, when he was scheduled to fight Ghanaian Razak Nettey in Stellenbosch last Sunday.
After initially refusing to speak about the debacle, Ndongeni finally agreed to reflect on the issue.
BOXING MECCA: This is one of those interviews that I hate Nomeva because I know how you must be feeling about this but still I need to hear it from you.
XOLISANI NDONGENI: Firstly, I must apologise for the way I reacted to you when you first called about this matter. I was gutted and I vented my anger to anyone including you and that was unfair.
BM: No sweat Meva, you do not need to apologise. I know you had never spoken to me like that before so I understood your frustration. Like I said, it is tough for me too, because I will be opening up a wound but I still need to ask you.
XN: To say I am disappointed would be a gross understatement. I trained hard for this fight as you know I do in all my fights and I was so looking forward to putting in to practice what I learnt in my last fight in the US. The opponent was not world class but, still, he would have provided me with an opportunity to show how far I have gone since fighting in the US.
BM: I saw the videos you posted on social media of you training your butt off and I could tell that you wanted to make an impression.
XN: As you probably know, I have never been a boxer who relies on others to train. I always push myself because I know what I want. No trainer of mine can complain about me being physically unfit, so yes, it was the same with this guy as well.
BM: Let’s go back to the fight. How did you begin to suspect that this fight was not going to happen?
XN: I never suspected anything, especially when it secured television coverage. But then, again, I am a boxer, so I did not pay to much attention to issues behind the scenes. It was only when we were supposed to go to the weigh-in when things began to unravel. We were told that there were issues still being sorted out so we should wait a bit for the weigh-in. Eventually we were informed that the fight had been called off.
BM: I can imagine how you must have felt. The Premier Boxing League (PBL) debacle must have come back to you.
XN: That was exactly my thought. Remember, I was also not paid my purse for the tournament I participated in in April last year, so that thought also came flooding back. I wondered if I was cursed or I am not supposed to be in this thing.
BM: This all happens when people are eager to see you as Boxer of the Year. Some people are still not convinced that you deserved the award so they would have watched you with a critical eye.
XN: Like I said, there were a number of issues riding on this fight. It was going to be my first fight after being nominated Boxer of the Year. It was also going to be my first since fighting in US.
BM: You told me you were no longer interested in boxing and you may even consider quitting. Are you still saying that?
XN: Look, I am hugely disappointed but I am not going to throw in the towel because I am not a quitter. Yes I have not been to the gym as yet but I will summon all my strength to go back to the gym. I will not let this unfortunate incident deter me.
BM: Have you spoken with your promoter Rodney Berman about this latest episode?
XN: As a matter of fact, I am about to go into his office as we speak. I have not spoken to him since the debacle now I need to know where I stand.
BM: Did he call you or you invited yourself?
XN: I invited myself!
BM: You know I have my own reservations about all this but I would rather I do not say anything at this stage until you have spoken with Rodney. But if it comes to a push I am afraid I will call a spade a spade Nomeva.
XN: I know what you mean but like I said I need to hear from Rodney about his plans for me.
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