Durandt angry at Zambia fiasco
2008-06-25 13:56
Ron Jackson
Johannesburg - Trainer Nick Durandt has appealed to the WBC for a rematch after SA heavyweight champion Osborne Machimana was beaten in atrocious conditions in Zambia last week.
Poor officiating contributed to Machimana being stopped in the seventh round by Joseph Chingangu.
Durandt is livid over the treatment his fighter received from the local commission and the promoter before and during the fight.
The bout was for the African Boxing Union heavyweight title held by the 42-year-old Chingangu.
Machimana took on the challenge in an effort to obtain a WBC rating.
Problems arose early. The official weigh-in was scheduled for 11:00 but took place at 15:00 and even then Chingangu arrived only five minutes before the time.
Durandt was told the fight would start at 19:00 at a stadium adjacent to a soccer field. The South Africans arrived there at 17:15 and were greeted by an unruly crowd, with people banging on the windows of the bus.
Machimana and his handlers eventually had to wait in the bus until they were allocated a dressing room at 22:10, three hours after the scheduled start of the fight.
Durandt says the dressing room was as big as a toilet cubicle. There was hardly space for his fighter to warm up.
By then, he says, most of the approximately 5 000 spectators were under the influence of liquor and were becoming unruly, chanting "Joseph Xenophobia".
The ring was higher than the official specifications and the boxers had to climb what seemed like a flight of stairs to get through the ropes.
The canvas was soaking wet and slippery after the earlier fights.
The bout eventually started at 23:30. Machimana was caught cold in the first round and went down for a count. Durandt says this was a legitimate knockdown.
In the fourth round, Machimana slipped and went down. The referee ruled it as a knockdown. In the sixth round, Machimana was down for another legitimate knockdown.
At this stage, Chingangu was "totally out of gas," says Durandt.
At the start of the seventh round, Machimana's front foot slipped as he threw a jab. He went down on one knee and the referee stepped in immediately and, without bothering to count, stopped the fight.
Durandt says WBC vice-president Houcine Houchi was "stunned" by the stoppage.
"I am utterly disgusted. I've taken fighters all over the world and I have never been treated so badly. The Zambian Boxing Commission must learn how to run professional boxing."
Durandt has written a strongly worded letter to the African Boxing Union and wants Boxing SA's assistance to appeal to the WBC.
- SuperSport