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Shereen Hunter, posing with her award for most promising promoter in 2018, has relinquished her licence after Boxing SA administrative bungles. Picture: GALLO IMAGES
Shereen Hunter, posing with her award for most promising promoter in 2018, has relinquished her licence after Boxing SA administrative bungles. Picture: GALLO IMAGES

Another day, another Boxing SA boo-boo. This time the regulator postponed two disciplinary hearings scheduled for Wednesday, but apparently failed to inform the two accused in advance.

Trainer Charrit Mukondeleli and promoter Shereen Hunter arrived separately at the regulator’s offices in Pretoria to be told no hearing was set for the day. 

A third licensee, Cape Town-based ring announcer Dev Currer, was notified on Tuesday that his hearing for Thursday had been postponed to August 29 because the designated chair was unavailable. Fortunately he had not yet purchased air tickets. 

Boxing SA, which regulates professional boxing, has come under fire for a wide range of perceived failures, indiscretions and poor management, and its inability to communicate to Mukondeleli and Hunter in good time will give critics more ammunition.

Mukondeleli, Hunter and Currer were charged separately with, among other things, bringing the sport into disrepute for comments made on social media, though the summonses sent to them about three weeks ago do not specify offending remarks.

Hunter, who had been critical of Boxing SA’s failure to respond to emails and queries by licensees, resigned as a promoter after staging her last show in Johannesburg last month.

No longer being a licensee, Hunter should not fall under Boxing SA’s jurisdiction, but emails to the regulator to clarify that her disciplinary would not take place went unanswered. She travelled to the offices to ensure a hearing did not proceed in her absence.

“Today [Wednesday] was just a repeat of every other day in boxing for the past two years,” Hunter said. “One more time Boxing SA is absent without notice or apology.

“I am heartbroken. I sat in the reception and thought ‘this is exactly why I resigned as a woman in boxing from Boxing SA. We are not taken seriously, we are treated with contempt’. “Happy Women’s Month to women in boxing — not.”

Soweto-based Mukondeleli, who had expressed his displeasure about elements of Boxing SA’s awards last month, said he received a phone call informing him the disciplinary was postponed shortly before arriving at Boxing SA’s offices. He was already in nearby Centurion.

He was told Boxing SA wanted to hold it next week, but he replied he would be visiting family in Limpopo for the next three weeks.

The regulator issued a general press release in which it claims it is under attack by a racist cabal that lacks the intellectual capacity to understand how boxing is run, adding it has been doing a sterling job.

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