A stamp of approval for new, young and fresh Boxing South Africa board

The seven-member board is led by former promoter Sifiso Shongwe, with members Sakhiwo Sodo, Romy Titus, Dr Koketso Tsebe, Dr Luvuyo Precious Bayeni, Nandi Mheshe, and Luxolo September. The board will serve for the next three years until 2027. They were appointed last week by Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa after he started the process afresh.

Nathan says the new board is a breath of fresh air.

"We welcome the new board, I think they still have to be proven but obviously given what happened with the previous board which was an absolute disaster with decision making, just a whole bunch of things that rules were flattered, that wasn't followed. We're optimistic that with Sifiso Shongwe who's been elected as the chairperson again to come out and just stick to the rules and regulations of boxing and abide by the act,” Nathan said.

“I think managers and trainers and promoters felt very frustrated that certain rules applied for certain people and applied to certain people. Now I think just everyone wants everyone to be treated equally, no favours given, we want things to be done correctly."

READ: Boxing Promoters launch scathing attack on Minister Zizi Kodwa

Kodwa initiated the process anew in March, demonstrating his commitment to transparency and fairness.

This was in response to the National Professional Boxing Promoters Association (NPBPA) taking him and BSA to court, citing a lack of consultation prior to the board’s appointment as the reason.

Nathan says all boxing people want is for the sport to thrive and for boxers to be prioritised.

"You know the bottom line is we want boxing to carry on, we want boxing to flourish, we want boxing to be marketed with all this negativity of interdicts and challenging the sports minister, fighters get in the gym, they train and they wanna fight. If you ask them about the political situation within the sport, they're gonna look at you and say 'I don't really care, I just wanna fight' and that's the bottom line that fighters just wanna fight," Nathan added.