Deon Potgieter boxing
Dingaan Thobela may find himself in the ring in the early hours of the morning of April 22 again contesting the World Boxing Council (WBC) super-middleweight world title he was robbed of in Canada in December.
Whether he faces Glen “Crybaby” Catley or Eric Lucas, Thobela will steal the spotlight from the Lennox Lewis vs Hassim Rahman heavyweight showdown headlining the historic bill at Carnival City at least as far as local fight fans are concerned anyway.
News of when Thobela will get the opportunity to reclaim the title that by all rights should still be his will come as soon as the WBC board of governors has completed a vote on whether to strip Dave Hilton of the title now or to wait until April 19 to do so.
Hilton was found guilty on nine counts of sexual misconduct against two under-age girls over a period of three years. He will be sentenced on April 19 and faces up to 14 years in prison. It is a heartening move by WBC president Jose Sulaiman to call for a vote by the WBC board on this matter. A two-thirds majority of the 37-member board would be enough to strip Hilton of the title.
The vote seems a mere formality as the WBC has already issued a statement saying: “Hilton’s imprisonment has violated several articles of the constitution, rules and regulations of the WBC as well as its moral principles, and thus he will no longer be entitled to make defences of such championship.”
Before this move, Mario Latravese, the WBC Canadian representative, said the title would remain with Hilton until such a time as his legal status denied him the right to fight. Additionally, Hilton was awarded a 120-day medical leave due to injury suffered in his bout with Thobela. The leave would cover Hilton’s title claim into an appeal against Friday’s verdict though no appeal has yet been lodged.
From a Canadian viewpoint it was hoped Lucas could challenge Hilton for the title and thereby ensure that it would remain in Canada. Commenting on Hilton’s conviction, Latravese said: “It’s a blow to boxing. Boxing takes it on the chin again. I don’t know if it will recover, but I hope it does. The WBC was quite honoured to have a Canadian champion.”
The conviction isn’t a blow against boxing. What Hilton did is a blow against humanity. He irrevocably damaged the lives of two young girls. Their futures will be forever tainted by the nightmare of systematic sexual and mental abuse in their formative years.
With previous convictions for drunk driving and armed robbery, Hilton has somehow endured as the most popular boxer in Canada. The vile deeds he committed against two children have had little impact on his hordes of fans.
On another sad note for the sport, Greg Page, the man who controversially dethroned Gerrie Coetzee for the World Boxing Association heavyweight world title in 1984, is still in hospital in Cincinnati in a serious condition.
Page (43) had a blood clot removed from his brain after being stopped by 24-year-old Dale Crowe in 10 rounds two weekends ago. It was Page’s 76th professional bout; he was fighting for the meagre purse of R12 000.