Boxing in South Africa to be revived MyZA

Sport and Recreation minister Fikile Mbalula. Photo: Sport Industry

The department of sport, arts culture and recreation, joined by numerous boxing stakeholders, took the initiative to resuscitate boxing and take it forward.

This emerged during a two-day boxing indaba in Bloemfontein at the weekend where it was decided to develop a turnaround strategy for the success of the pugilistic sport in the province.

This follows a call by Minister of Sport and Recreation Fikile Mbalula to all stakeholders to conduct diagnostic analysis on the status of boxing in the country.

Mbalula urged all nine provinces to get together and establish the root of the “slow death’ of boxing.

The findings at a provincial indaba will then be deliberated at a national indaba that would be held in Johannesburg at the end of the month.

The provincial indaba is the outcome of meetings organised by the provincial department at all districts of the province and was attended by boxers, promoters, referees and other stakeholders in the boxing fraternity.

Some challenges raised as experienced by boxing in the country range from lack of support systems for active and retired boxers, insufficient talent development plans, career pathing for boxers, managers and trainers, lack of commercial and financially viable business model for Boxing South Africa and TV blackout among others.

George Tshabalala, director at the department, said the indaba was conveyed to conduct “brutal frank, but constructive consultative process and dialogue” throughout the boxing fraternity whose outcome must transform boxing for the better.

“We want to emphasise that the Free State is taking the development of sport in general very seriously, and an Indaba like we are having now is a positive step in the right direction for boxing.” – The New Age

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