South Africa’s anaemic boxing industry has been given a beefy boost by the entry of Chesa Nyama as a primary sponsor in the ‘sport of kings’. The Southern African-based Chesa Nyama, a national franchise enterprise which prides itself on its meat fastfood offerings, announced a whopping R15m sponsorship over the next three years for World Sport Promotions (WSP). Thinus Strydom, the WSP chief executive a former world ‘Boxing Promoter of the Year’ winner , said there are encouraging signs that South African boxing is well on its way to recovering its former glory and he was pleased that national industry were picking up those signals.
“South African boxing is fast emerging from slump which came about mainly because of a lack of sponsorship and television exposure,” said Strydom. “Right now there are several tournaments lined up around the country over the next few months and I’m pleased that the pay channel SuperSport will be bursting with live broadcasts from now on. “For the first time in more than 20 years of promoting boxing in South Africa and elsewhere around the world, SuperSport will broadcast live a World Sport Promotions event, which features two world title bouts on 29 June at Graceland Casino, Secunda.
“The immediate benefit of this Chesa Nyama sponsorship is that South African boxers will enjoy the prospect of big pay-day fights ever so often now.” Chesa Nyama boss, Stelio Nataniel, said boxing was a perfect match with his fastfood franchise. “We’ve always been passionate about boxing so it’s a wonderful opportunity to pack a punch for the game. Many of our customers are fans of the fight game so they will enjoy the connection. “This country has produced many world-class boxers over the years but we’ve a drop in recent times. We’re glad to be part of the process to restore it to its former glory,” said Nataniel.
The celebrated Limpopo boxer Tshifiwe ‘Atomic Spider’ Munyai will feature in one of the two headline bouts on the ‘Chesa Nyama’ bill.Last December he was crowned the WBA Pan African super bantamweight champion after a points decision against Johannesburg’s Oscar ‘Golden Boy’ Chauke in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape. The other world title bout will feature South Africa’s junior featherweight undefeated female champion Gabsile ‘Simply the Best’ Tshabalala. Her record presently stands at 8-0-1 after nine bouts in the paid ranks. She made her first SA title defence on the same bill when Munyai bagged his WBA Pan African title. Both boxers will be up against international opponents, and World Sports Promotions will announce details next week.
