A threat to stop Eastern Cape boxers from participating in tournaments from April until their purse demands were met was averted when Boxing SA bosses intervened this week.
The threat was issued by the provincial managers’ association in protest at BSA’s failure to enforce better purses for boxers.
The association demanded R2,500 per round while some promoters continued to pay boxers R1,000, which had been the standard for more than a decade.
After BSA failed to honour earlier promises to enforce the demand, the association declared that no boxer would feature in any tournament in the Eastern Cape from April, threatening tournaments already in the pipeline.
However, BSA CEO Tsholofelo Lejaka and COO Mandla Ntlanganiso flew to KuGompo City on Tuesday to join the boxing body’s acting Eastern Cape manager, Phakamile Jacobs, in a meeting with the executive of the association, led by chair Thembisile Mjele and secretary Thulani Mhlubulwana, to resolve the impasse.
Lejaka confirmed BSA had decided to meet the association’s leadership to ensure boxing activity in the province was not disrupted.
The meeting was quite successful and both parties expressed satisfaction with the outcomes
— BSA chief executive Tsholofelo Lejaka
“The meeting was quite successful, and both parties expressed satisfaction with the outcomes,” he said.
“The association raised concerns about previous requests being ignored, particularly with the Buffalo City municipality, the provincial department of sport, arts and culture and the recently resigned BSA provincial manager.”
Lejaka said all the parties agreed that the R1,000 minimum purse was outdated. A revised payment of R2,500 per round was agreed upon for enforcement.
However, analysis of financial data for 2025/2026 showed that most promoters already paid at least R2,000 per round after BSA started engaging with them to enforce the updated standard.
The meeting resolved that the threat by the association to stop boxers from participating in tournaments would be suspended to give the board time to interrogate the matter at its meeting scheduled for April 29.
“The board will look to finalise enforcement directives,” Lejaka said.
In the interim, the association would continue to reject offers below R2,500 a round in the interest of boxers.
“It is within their right to do so,” Lejaka said.
He said a virtual follow-up meeting had been scheduled for the week after the Easter holidays to brief the board chair on the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting with the association.
This matter does not affect only boxers in our province, so it is paramount that everyone is in the same boat.
— Thulani Mhlubulwana, association secretary
The association had butted heads with certain promoters over its demand, with some denying the matter had been agreed upon with the provincial body.
Mhlubulwana confirmed that the promoters had suspended their threatened protest action after a “fruitful meeting” with the BSA hierarchy.
“We are grateful that BSA treated the matter with the urgency it deserved, and we agreed on plenty of issues,” he said.
“As an association our stand on this issue remains that we reject R1,000 per round, but we are willing to give BSA time to enforce the demand while we take the R2,000 offer.”
Mhlubulwana said the provincial body was in the process of engaging with its counterparts in other provinces so they could speak with one voice.
“This matter does not affect only boxers in our province, so it is paramount that everyone be [on the same page].”
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