The claws of the tiger have been clipped.
Gabula ”Tiger” Vabaza has been banned for six months from participating in a professional ring.
The left-handed former undefeated South African flyweight and WBU junior bantamweight holder from East London failed a drug test after defeating Vuyani Phulo in five rounds on January 9.
Boxing South Africa (BSA) acted swiftly and promptly on Tuesday by banning Vabaza, although the sentence is improper for the offence.
Vabaza’s promoter, Branco Milenkovic, who said his charge had the right to appeal, was non-committal when asked about the appeal.
Instead the promoter, who wrote a letter of apology to BSA on behalf of his charge, concurred that the sentence could have been a two-year ban ”if one takes into consideration the offence”.
”I believed that BSA took into consideration the context of my correspondence as well as the fact that Vabaza was in limbo for two years prior to joining my stable in December last year.
”I am therefore happy with the manner in which BSA handled the issue,” he said.
”I believe that Vabaza as well as other boxers will learn from this.
”Obviously he will not be able to fight next month as I had already planned an international fight for him.
”However, he will get the fair slice of the cake together with other champions such as Mzonke Fana and Vusi Malinga when it comes to the 11 television dates that I got for my promotion.”
It was Vabaza’s first fight in the junior featherweight class and Milenkovic, who staged that bout in East London, said the contest was the elimination for the WBC international junior featherweight belt.
He revealed that Vabaza’s superb demolition of Phulo, the former South African and All Africa junior featherweight champion, earned Vabaza a rating in the WBC’s top 20 ranking.
It is unclear how the ban will impact on that rating.
Vabaza (25) is yet to taste defeat with 17 wins and a draw.
He gave up his WBU bantam weight belt immediately after joining Milenkovic last year December to campaign in the junior featherweight class.
The promoter, who has close connection with the WBC’s hierarchy, is hoping to give Vabaza two international fights prior to the WBC’s convention in Thailand in October.
”If he emerges victorious I will look for the top 10 position for him like I did for Fana and Malinga in [the] WBC’ s convention in Moscow last year,” said Milenkovic. — Sapa