The highly anticipated Steve Tshwete Boxing Series will officially get under way in Mpumalanga in November, dashing KuGompo City’s hopes of hosting the tournament launch.
Boxing South Africa confirmed the shift to the province housing the namesake municipality, though the Eastern Cape will ultimately stage the series finals in March 2027.
The hopes of KuGompo City serving as the launch venue for the much publicised boxing series have fizzled out after authorities opted to kick it off in Mpumalanga in November.
After much fanfare, with even Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie punting the city in his numerous speeches since the February 2025 boxing indaba at the International Convention Centre, Boxing SA decided to take it to Mpumalanga province, which includes the Steve Tshwete Municipality.
“Yes, due to logistics, the Steve Tshwete Boxing Series will be launched in Mpumalanga with two tournaments on November 21 and 22,” BSA said.
BSA said the series would be held in only four provinces, with KwaZulu-Natal next in line before Gauteng.
However, the Eastern Cape will not be left high and dry as it has been given the rights to host the finals in March 2027.
BSA provincial manager Phakamile Jacobs confirmed that the province would host the finals, with KuGompo City targeted as the venue.
“After the rounds of elimination have been completed, all the excitement will come down to the boxing hotbed of the country,” he said.
“We are excited to be given the finals when everyone will be here.”
The series, which will include amateur boxers under the SA National Amateur Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) umbrella, will involve all nine provinces.
Initially planned to run on a league format, BSA chief executive Tsholofelo Lejaka said it had since been changed to an elimination series with losing boxers going home.
However, the number of boxers fielded per province remains uncertain, though BSA said the total number would be 48.
Jacobs said EC would field boxers in the mini-flyweight, flyweight and bantamweight divisions.
“I understand other provinces will also field boxers in the super-middleweight, but we will not have anyone in those divisions.”
The series will accommodate boxers with a maximum of three fights, with emphasis on development promoters who are yet to make their mark in the promotion business.
“We want this series to serve as an apprenticeship for some of our developing licensees, including promoters and ring officials,” Lejaka said.
Sanabo said 10 of its boxers per province would contest in a league format, making the structure the biggest contributor of fighters in the series.
“We will focus on Olympic divisions because we want to use this series as part of the Olympic preparations,” the structure said.
McKenzie’s department has already advanced R1m to each province to cater for the tournaments, with BSA expected to decide on the boxers’ purses together with selected promoters.
Sanabo’s boxers will receive prizes on completion of the series following an amateur model adopted by the International Boxing Association (IBA), whose relations with the International Olympic Committee soured and finally ended due to its failure to disclose the source of lucrative prizes paid to its athletes.
Mesuli Zifo
theherald.co.za
