Anyone who wants to be famous need not look any further, they must just come and be part of the boxing fraternity. The platform is freely available for all to launch themselves at the expense of the fistic sport.
Even if you are a disgraced former Safa official, banned for six years by Fifa from all football-related activities at national or international level, it does not matter.
Just last week, Safa’s former head of national teams, who was handed a six-year ban for his role in the fixing of match results prior to the 2010 World Cup, was in charge of a boxing press conference.
The conference was for the third instalment of the Arnold Classic Africa boxing tournament, which formed part of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Games that took place at the Sandton Convention Hall in Sandton City last week.
By the way, the midweek hype for that tournament was bigger than the actual occasion.
What made it even worse was that the ring announcer had no clue whatsoever about what he was appointed to do.
Not only did he flop by referring to promoter Andre Thysse as “chairperson of Gauteng Promoters Association”, but took the cup when he referred to scorecards as the “Tale of the Tape”.
The poor guy must have thought he looked clever using boxing jargon, but he actually embarrassed himself.
American ring announcer Michael Buffer, known for his trademark catch phrase “Let’s get ready to rumble”, would have hung up his commentary mic and retired last week.
Education is expensive, so I’m not going to tell that charlatan what the tale of the tape really is. It is actually up to him to go and find out from the people who appointed him.
But you know what? The con artist got two cents of fame at the expense of boxing. I have a lot to say about these charlatans and the bosses who appoint them, but maybe I should end it here before I am accused of seeking fame myself, at the expense of boxing. Amandla!
–sowetanlive.co.za
