Row over Fuzile loss rages on

Manager Colin Nathan says he would have been in the boxer’s corner if asked

The row over Azinga Fuzile’s world title loss rages on with his manager, Colin Nathan, defending himself after the defeat, claiming he had been prepared to help in the boxer’s corner.

Fuzile suffered a unanimous points loss to Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa when they contested the vacant IBF junior lightweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York at the weekend.

The Duncan Village boxer was dropped three times courtesy of an Ogawa right hand en route to losing scores of 115-110 twice and 114-111.

Fuzile left with just his trainer, Mzamo “Chief” Njekanye, to the biggest fight involving an SA boxer in recent times, prompting commentators to say his entourage was the smallest for a boxer fighting for a world title.

Nathan represented Rumble Africa Promotions (Rap) at the event, but he and Njekanye were not on speaking terms and therefore he could not help in the corner.

Nathan had previously trained Fuzile before the fighter returned to Njekanye and the pair never reconciled.

Nathan admitted he and Njekanye were not on speaking terms, saying they did not utter a single word to each other in the US.

“It is common knowledge that Chief wants nothing to do with me, but I was willing to help had he asked me,” Nathan said.

Njekanye was assisted in the corner by Sean Gibbons while Jorge Capetillo served as a cutman, both of whom he met while there.

Njekanye had previously complained that the fight, which was negotiated by Nathan, had come at

short notice after Fuzile was involved in a car crash, though he escaped unscathed.

But Nathan denied this, insisting he knew that if the Duncan Village star lost the fight he would be made a scapegoat.

“If Azinga had won, would Chief be behaving like this, or would he take all the credit?

“Chief must take responsibility and ownership of the loss.”

Nathan’s contract with Fuzile runs until 2022, but Njekanye had said he would challenge it.

“He says he is the manager yet he knows nothing about the boxer, how he prepared for the fight,” Njekanye said.

“To me, he did not come as part of us but for his own business interest.”

Nathan said he was treated unfairly after getting Fuzile a world title shot on the biggest stage in boxing.

The fight was streamed worldwide by DAZN and served as supporting bout to the WBA, IBF, WBO and WBCC franchise lightweight title defence by Teofimo Lopez, who was upset by George Kambosos.

“Chief has been completely dismissive of my work for them to get to that position and get the world title shot,” he said.

Njekanye and Fuzile are expected to arrive in East London on Wednesday afternoon after their flights were cancelled due to the listing of SA on the red zone alert following the outbreak of the Covid-19 variant Omicron.