The Sunday News
Sports Correspondent
WORLD Boxing Federation African heavyweight champion Elvis “Bulawayo Bomber” Moyo will look to other countries for boxing fights following a ban by Boxing South Africa for his involvement in Extreme Fighting Championships (EFC) Africa mixed martial arts. The South Africa-based Moyo said while he is yet to get official communication on the ban, its impact would be limited as he would look to other African boxing boards to approve his fights.
He said he is still waiting for a challenge for his title and was confident those could come from boxers in other countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Zambia and even Zimbabwe.
Moyo said before his career in EFC, he had received several offers from Zambia and Zimbabwe to defend his title but they fell through.
“The fact that it is an African title will play to my advantage because there would be other African boxers wanting to grab the title from me and fights can be organised in their countries. I could have fought Zambia’s Francis Zulu but the organisers pulled out. I can’t cry for the ban because it really does not affect my boxing career as it means I miss no fight or maybe one fight in a year,” he said.
During the week media reports quoted BSA chief executive Loyiso Mtya expressing safety concerns as the primary reason for banning Moyo from boxing.
“Professional boxers are not allowed to be involved in mixed martial arts. Elvis is as a result not going to fight with us (Boxing SA) anymore. We do not allow our boxers to fight in mixed martial arts tournaments.
“Their (MMA) gloves are too small, they use elbows, they kick and when a guy is down, they do not stop for a count. Instead, a guy is hit when he is down. They are allowed to go into the next fight while still injured from their previous fight because there is no punishment index,” Mtya was quoted as saying.
The “Bulawayo Bomber” opted for cage fights at the beginning of the year after failing to land a challenger for his WBF title and lack of boxing bouts.
Moyo said his involvement with the EFC kept him busy and he would not stop because of the ban.
“I managed to land a heavyweight title in boxing and I think I can also win a big title in EFC but I am confident other associations don’t share BSA’s concerns and would have no qualms setting up bouts involving me under their banners.
“As the reigning WBF African champion I am ready to welcome any challenge and EFC are aware of this as it is contained in my contract with them. I told EFC from the start that I would take time off to defend my title when the need arose,” he said.
EFC president Cairo Howarth, however, felt the ban was unjustified.
“Elvis has fought for us on three occasions and has proved to be a highly professional athlete.
“He is 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, which from our point of view is beneficial to everyone.
“Extensive research conducted in various countries has shown that statistically MMA is as safe as boxing. One of the reasons is that MMA has no standing 10-count. There are also generally less head strikes due to kicks to the legs and body, and the majority of the bout is often grappling based. Athlete’s safety is our top priority. We are continually improving to ensure our athletes receive the best care and fight under the most professional conditions possible,” Howarth told EFC online.
