Hesron Kapanga
Tanzanian boxing promoter Shomari Kimbau is at loggerheads with Namibian boxing mogul Nestor Tobias over the non-payment of Tanzanian boxers who competed in the Together as One Part 10 boxing event in September 2023.
The MTC Nestor Sunshine Tobias Boxing and Fitness Academy held its boxing bonanza on 01 September 2023, at the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre, where Namibian boxers exchanged leather with their international counterparts.
Tanzanian boxers Iddi Salamu Pialari Mzee and Joseph Maigwisya were part of the boxing event. They fought against Namibian boxers Charles Shinima and Paulinus Ndjolonimus, respectively.
Six weeks after the fight, the boxers are still waiting for their payments and have contacted the Namibia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, which sanctioned the fights, as well as promoter Nestor Tobias, but have not received any positive response.
In an interview with Nampa, Kimbau of Golden Boy Africa Promotion INC and manager of Maigwisya, expressed his disappointment that his boxers still have not been paid what is due to them.
“We are being sent from pillar to post by Tobias. He said he paid the money to Junior (Bongi), and we don’t know why, as he told our boxers to travel on Sunday immediately after the fight, and the money was supposed to be paid to our coach Edward Lyakwipa who remained in Namibia until 28 September 2023 as we agreed,” he said.
Tobias provided proof of payment documentation that was made on 06 and 19 September as well as 10 October 2023 to Assoya Boxing Club, which belongs to Junior Bongi. Bongi was registered as a coach in a document that was used by the team upon arrival in Namibia.
Tobias added that he did the right thing by paying the person who accompanied the boxers as team manager, Junior (Bongi).
“I have travelled as a coach and promoter internationally with boxers. I usually get the money and pay the boxers, so I don’t understand why these guys wanted me to pay them the money if they had a person who represented them as a manager,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kimbau is not satisfied with the situation and does not understand why Tobias agreed to keep one of his coaches in the country and then opted to pay Bongi who is not a representative of any boxer who fought at the boxing event.
Nampa got in touch with Bongi, who confirmed that Tobias had paid him for the fight.
“However, my account has been frozen by the South African banks due to my expired visa, and I will transfer the funds to the Tanzanian boxers once everything is resolved,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Namibia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board to Nampa to establish how the boxing event was sanctioned without payment being made to the control board or the boxers before the fights proved fruitless as the chairperson of the board, Magreth Mengo, did not answer her phone.
– Nampa