The Sunday Mail
THE World Boxing Federation president Howard Goldberg has revealed that Zimbabwean boxer Elvis “Bomber” Moyo will not be stripped of his All Africa heavyweight title despite being banned by the South Africa Boxing Commission.
The SA-based Moyo was recently banned by the SABC for taking part in the Extreme Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts competition.
Professional boxers are not allowed to participate in mixed martial arts and there were fears that the WBF could strip Moyo of his African title, but the federation’s chief cleared the air in an interview with The Sunday Mail last week.
“His banning by the South Africa Boxing Commission has nothing to do with the World Boxing Federation.
“Elvis keeps his WBF belt, but his title defence is overdue and if he does not defend it within the next two to three months, it will be taken away from him.
“The WBF simply sanctions title fights. It is up to fighters’ promoters to organise the fights,” said Goldberg.
Moyo clinched the then vacant title in November last year when he beat South African champion Osborne Machimana, but has not defended his crown since then.
That the WBF has given him such a long grace period also raises doubts over the international significance of the heavyweight title in the boxing world.
Meanwhile, Moyo’s suspension continues to cause a storm across the Limpopo, with EFC Africa president Cairo Howarth dismissing SABC acting chief executive Loyiso Mtya’s assertions.
In announcing Moyo’s ban, the SABC boss accused EFC of lacking strict safety regulations like boxing.
“They are allowed to go into the next fight while they are injured from their previous one because there is no punishment index [a report compiled by a doctor at ringside that measures the amount of punishment boxers receive inside the ring],” Mtya was quoted as saying.
However, Howarth told The Sowetan that they follow strict regulations and contracted Moyo on the understanding that the Zimbabwean would continue with his boxing career.
“Elvis has fought for us on three occasions and has proven himself to be a highly professional athlete and a fan favourite with his incredible boxing skills.
“We contracted him with the understanding that he would continue his boxing career when he was done competing at EFC,” the EFC supremo was quoted as having said.
