South Africa’s Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has said there will continue to be no live coverage of boxing on public-service broadcaster SABC due to a dispute between the Boxing South Africa governing body and promoter Branco Milenkovic.
Boxing has been off the broadcaster’s channels since 2010, but hopes were raised of a return after it was announced in March that the sport would be put back on free-to-air television.
However, Mbalula said: “The reason South Africans are not able to view boxing is because somebody went to court and blocked the SABC and Boxing SA from concluding an agreement. That person is Branco. I don't know his surname.”
SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago told the Sportlive.co.za website: “The issue is between Branco and Boxing SA. We have budgeted for boxing because we thought the court battle was sorted out.”