Deon Potgieter boxing
Despite losing a week’s training because of the rantings of Glen “The cry baby” Catley, Dingaan Thobela says he is approaching readiness for the first defence of his World Boxing Council (WBC) super- middleweight world title on December 15.
Thobela had to fly to Paris last week to defend himself at a hearing called by the WBC into accusations by Catley. Thobela battered and knocked Catley out on September 1 to win the WBC title. After seeing a photograph of Thobela with his hands raised after the bout, Catley claims a square edge could be seen on the bandages. This led the British fighter to claim that Thobela must have had something under his bandages.
“It felt like he was hitting me with an ashtray every time a punch landed,” said Catley. “About the only foul Glenn Catley did not commit in the fight was a blatant low blow,” said Bert Blewett, editor of Boxing World magazine, “but now he’s delivered it.”
By giving credence to Catley’s claims, the WBC has not only insulted its champion, it has also damaged their reputation as a world-title-sanctioning body. Before each bout there are a number of procedures in place to check the bandaging on a boxer’s hands, as well as his gloves. It was recommended that the two officials who passed Thobela’s bandaging be suspended for a year, but the WBC have not enforced this. I have seen Thobela’s hands bandaged on numerous occasions and while I could understand it appearing as if there was a square edge on the bandaging, to suggest there was a hard object under them is ludicrous.
For starters such an object would also surely have caused damage to his hand in the process. What has been decided, even though there was no concrete proof of any irregularities by the Thobela camp, is that:
l Thobela will remain WBC champion (Catley wanted to be reinstated); l Thobela’s December 15 defence against Dave Hilton in Canada was approved; l The winner of the Thobela-Hilton bout must fight Catley within 90 days; l In the event of a purse bid, the purse will be split 60% for the champion and 40% for Catley; l This decision will not eliminate number one-ranked Eric Lucas as the official challenger in the super-middleweight division.
It’s interesting to note that the proposed unification bout with International Boxing Federation (IBF) world champion Sven Otke was turned down by the WBC prior to this hearing.
WBC president Jose Sulaiman said Thobela could fight Otke, but it would only be for the WBC title and not a unification bout.
The problem therefore lies between the WBC and IBF and has nothing to do with Thobela. The fact that Catley’s whines have had such a strong impact on what used to be one of the most respected boxing organisations in the world illustrates once again the decline of the sport’s credibility.
To correct another misconception, had Thobela not knocked Catley out, he still would have won the bout on points. Catley was outboxed, outthought and given a drubbing by Thobela the last time round. When they meet again, methinks we’ll see the same result, only this time the bout will finish a lot sooner. “I’m focusing on Hilton now,” said Thobela. “I need to keep up my winning ways, but when I face Catley again, he will be punished.”