Salute rages at detractorsBoxing promoter rejects allegations of favouritism Salute Boxing Academy insists that it is not being favoured by anyone at the Professional Wrestling and Boxing Control Board. Salute Boxing Academy officials have hit back at fellow boxing promoters who suggested that Salute is being favoured by the control board.Promoters from several boxing academies this week claimed that Salute has been receiving special treatment from Professional Wrestling and Boxing Control Board chairperson Ellison Hijarunguru.
This came after the new board under Hijarunguru lifted Salute chairman Kriata Kamanya''s suspension after their appointment.
The former board had charged Kamanya with misconduct and suspended him after his alleged brawl with WBF officials at the academy''s boxing event on 25 June.
Responding to the allegations at a press conference yesterday, Salute spokesperson Fredrich Nghiyolwa maintained that they were innocent.
“We have never received any special treatment from any control board.
“The bonanza that we are planning is our first since the new board was appointed in September,” he said.
“How dare people try to hold development in our face? We are not here to take anybody''s space, but to develop the boxers we work with.
“We as promoters and people in the boxing fraternity must learn to work together.
“People must stop using the media to attack Salute Boxing Academy because we have not done anything to them.
“The Salute Boxing Academy has not even said anything bad about any other academy but they continue talking negative things to the media about us,” Nghiyolwa fumed.
He said WBF president Howard Goldberg had no problems with the academy and had pledged to continue working with them.
“Goldberg wrote a letter to us that Kirata Kamanya never laid a hand on him and he will continue working with us.
“This shows that there was never truth in the video that has been circulating about our officials assaulting the president.”
The Salute Boxing Academy also announced that it will stage a boxing event at the Ramatex complex in Windhoek on 3 December.
The main bout of the night will see Bethuel ''Tyson'' Uushona challenge Polish Rafal Jackiewicz for the WBF welterweight world title.
The fight has drawn criticism from boxing pundits who questioned why Uushona was selected for the title fight after he lost the belt to Deniz IIbay in June.
“After Tyson lost the fight, we appealed the decision and the WBF gave IIbay and our boxer a chance for a rematch,” Nghiyolwa responded.
“However IIbay refused to fight and therefore WBF stripped him of the title and made it vacant again.”
Tyson Uushona said he was ready to fight for the world title after a disappointing year.
“My boxing promoters have shown that they trust me even when things were not going good for me.
“I am willing to pay them back by winning the WBF world title in style in December.
“I have been working very hard for this moment and I that is why I will go into the fight with great confidence,” he said.
The main supporting bout of the night will be between Lukas ''Demolisher'' Ndafoluma and South Africa''s Walter Dlamini for the IBO All-Africa middleweight title.
There are ten other undercard fights lined up for the night.
Ordinary tickets cost N$100, VIP seats N$500, and a table for ten N$20 000.
The chairman of the Salute Boxing Academy, Kiriata Kamanya, has invited all boxing fans to turn up on 3 December.
“People must come and witness our boy Tyson Uushona, who will be making history.
“We are confident in the boy because he has done so great in the past and now it will be his chance to fight for the big title again,” Kamanya said.
JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA