This is turning out to be a good year for South Africans to gather gongs. Adding to our Nobel literature prize, Academy Award and the 2010 Soccer World Cup, Stan Christodoulou will on Sunday become the first South African to be inducted into the international boxing Hall of Fame in New York.
This is not only a tremendous achievement for the man himself, but also a breakthrough for local boxing that will see our past fistic heroes now also coming into contention to be acknowledged for the part they played in the history of the sport.
There is a tinge of irony in the fact that Christodoulou, who once played the role of South Africa’s white boxing ambassador to the world, much like Gary Player did in golf and Ali Bacher in cricket, will now by his induction into this exclusive club be opening the door and shifting the spotlight to a proud boxing legacy once largely ignored by the world.
This weekend, however, the spotlight deservedly belongs on a man who has played a bigger role than any other in the sport in this country over the past 40 years.
As an administrator he was instrumental in the likes of Peter Mathebula, Piet Crous and Brian Mitchell receiving world title opportunities. He played a role in boxing becoming the first sport in South Africa to do away with racial segregation in the 1970s, long before injustice was addressed by other sporting codes.
Initially controlling boxing with an iron fist, Christodoulou has faced many trials and tribulations. Something often forgotten, however, is that prior to this enigmatic man taking over the reins of boxing, the sport was controlled by the Police Act and fell under the jurisdiction of the ministry of law and order.
He was mentored by people who themselves were strict disciplinarians and thus it seemed natural for him to assume the same attitude in dealing with matters.
I first met Christodoulou 15 years ago, and to compare the Stan I know today with the man I knew then, it is clear he has mellowed and has realised he need not hold so tightly on to every aspect of everything.
This lesson did not come easily, however. Although he was welcomed back into the fold five years ago Christodoulou was persona non-grata in local boxing circles for some time and lost his administrative powers. Being ousted from the local boxing scene almost broke his heart.
He directed his attention to developing boxing on the African continent, as well as remaining a senior executive of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and, of course, being one of the world’s foremost and respected referees and judges.
It is for the latter role that he is being inducted and even his sternest critics will admit Christodoulou has always been one of the greatest and fairest referees in the world. He is one of only three men to have refereed more than 100 world title fights in all 17 weight divisions.
From his very first world title bout back in 1973, when Arnold Taylor dethroned Romeo Anaya to win the WBA bantamweight title in Johannesburg, it was clear that he was no ordinary referee. He has an instinct in the ring and a natural skill in handling every situation with aplomb and in making the right calls, thereby adding value rather than detracting from the contests he participates in.
It comes as little surprise that he has been called on to officiate in some of the biggest bouts in world boxing and that many of the fights he has handled have gone down in history as classics.
Christodoulou is a class act and while he does have his detractors and has had his fair share of controversy outside the ring — no one can fault the man in the ring.