Accomplished boxing promoter Rodney Berman is spitting venom at the omission of South Africa’s only dual world champion, Hekkie “The Hexecutioner” Budler, at the annual SA Sports Awards in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Berman put the blame squarely on Boxing SA, the custodians of the sport in the country.
But one would have expected Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula to make sure that boxing got a look-in since it is the only code in the country that is governed by the act of parliament.
It is for that reason that Mbalula took it upon himself and SABC chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng to bring back live boxing broadcast on both television and radio in June after a five-year blackout.
“This is disgusting in simple English,” said Berman, a lawyer who has guided Budler since he turned professional.
The boxer boasts nine defences of the IBO strawweight strap and four of the WBA belt.
The boxer, who always paints his hair in the rainbow colours of the South African flag when he fights, defended his titles three times last year and twice this year.
Budler is rated number one pound for pound globally in the strawweight division by the Ring Magazine.
“How then do you turn a blind eye against such a highly acclaimed sportsperson in the ceremony which is meant to acknowledge great achievements?” asked a furious Berman, who said a mere nomination would have been better than a complete snub.
“The whole thing is sickening. It has become a circus.”
Wayde van Niekerk, the 400m world champion, cleaned up at the awards, winning the People’s Choice, Sports Star and Sportsman of the Year awards.
“I am not sure if there are some ulterior motives to snub Hekkie or the sport of boxing is not good enough for those awards,” said Berman, whose company has produced more than 50 world champions, the first being Welcome “The Hawk” Ncita, who captured the IBF junior-featherweight belt in Israel in 1990.
Boxing SA chairwoman Ntambi Ravele said: “The tendency from boxing people to complain after the awards is worrying.
“They know too well what to do. Every single licensee who believes they deserve to be acknowledged can fill in the nomination forms and nominate themselves under a respective category.
“BSA does not nominate unlike other federations. We sent out the nominations forms to all the provinces through provincial managers.”
Berman irate over Hekkie ‘snub’
Berman put the blame squarely on Boxing SA, the custodians of the sport in the country.
But one would have expected Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula to make sure that boxing got a look-in since it is the only code in the country that is governed by the act of parliament.
It is for that reason that Mbalula took it upon himself and SABC chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng to bring back live boxing broadcast on both television and radio in June after a five-year blackout.
“This is disgusting in simple English,” said Berman, a lawyer who has guided Budler since he turned professional.
The boxer boasts nine defences of the IBO strawweight strap and four of the WBA belt.
The boxer, who always paints his hair in the rainbow colours of the South African flag when he fights, defended his titles three times last year and twice this year.
Budler is rated number one pound for pound globally in the strawweight division by the Ring Magazine.
“How then do you turn a blind eye against such a highly acclaimed sportsperson in the ceremony which is meant to acknowledge great achievements?” asked a furious Berman, who said a mere nomination would have been better than a complete snub.
“The whole thing is sickening. It has become a circus.”
Wayde van Niekerk, the 400m world champion, cleaned up at the awards, winning the People’s Choice, Sports Star and Sportsman of the Year awards.
“I am not sure if there are some ulterior motives to snub Hekkie or the sport of boxing is not good enough for those awards,” said Berman, whose company has produced more than 50 world champions, the first being Welcome “The Hawk” Ncita, who captured the IBF junior-featherweight belt in Israel in 1990.
Boxing SA chairwoman Ntambi Ravele said: “The tendency from boxing people to complain after the awards is worrying.
“They know too well what to do. Every single licensee who believes they deserve to be acknowledged can fill in the nomination forms and nominate themselves under a respective category.
“BSA does not nominate unlike other federations. We sent out the nominations forms to all the provinces through provincial managers.”
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