By Mark Vester
There is a lot of controversy in the South African press over Ali Funeka's Feb. 14 fight with Nate Campbell. The controversy has nothing to do with the final scores of the Florida fight. The big issue is Funeka and his team leaving South Africa without being cleared by the BSA [Boxing South Africa].
A few days ago, BoxingScene.com's Ronnie Nathanielsz reported the outrage by the BSA over Funeka's departure without their permission. The BSA is claiming that Funeka never supplied them with a copy of the fight contract, which appears to be some mandatory rule by the governing body.
Some South African media outlets, like Sowetan, are asking for severe punishment to get handed down on Funeka, his manager Sihle Mnguni and trainer Vuyani Bungu. They are pointing to a similiar incident that took place with South African boxer Anthony “Blue Jaguar” Morodi, who took a fight in Mexico without the consent of the BSA. The South African National Boxing Control Board banned Morodi and trainer Theo Mthembu or 12 months because they violated the rules of the BSA.
The public is backing Funeka and his team, asking the BSA to back off. Some of the BSA loyalists and media backers are pushing the issue.
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