DURBAN - The Fox Sports African Boxing tournament suffered a massive blow when its drawcard, Chatsworth’s Marc Subramoney, pulled out of his WBA heavyweight eliminator against Justice Siliga which was scheduled for next Wednesday at the Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom.
“I’m gutted and just so disappointed,” Subramoney said after he was examined by Dr Garrick Haswell late yesterday. “I did not want this to happen. I was all game for a big fight of my life. I was preparing for it and keen to do my best. I’m not running away from my opponent. I signed contracts and I was going to honour them.”
Subramoney, a plumber by trade, was down to fight in the first major professional event in KwaZulu-Natal in 30 years for what was to be the biggest fight of his short paid career. He was to have fought Siliga, who hails from the Allan Toweel Jnr Boxing Academy, over six rounds. He has been docked off work for the rest of this week.
Subramoney, who has been battling for sparring partners at his Chatsworth base, decided to travel with his entourage to the Bluff where he was promised a few heavyweights, and it was during the sparring session he injured his right arm. He immediately withdrew from any further activity.
After an examination, Dr Haswell said: “An ultrasound scan of his right elbow confirmed a tear in the Pronator Teres muscle. As a result of the injury he is unable to clench his fist or pronate his wrist as he would be required to do while punching. As a result he will not be fit to box for a period of 14 to 21 days.”
Early on Tuesday his manager John Marigadu informed the promoters of the situation and he was instructed to see a medical practitioner later in the day. He was declared unfit to take on a fight and was told it would be unwise for him to go through strapped up for the encounter.
It would take at least another two or three weeks for him to be 100% fit. “I’m just as devastated as Marc,” said Marigadu. “We are not feigning an injury as many people would think. This is genuine and it’s a sport in which freakish things happen. It happened while sparring when his right arm got caught in the ropes. I’m sad for him especially after all the publicity he’s received for this big fight.”
Though shattered that Subramoney would not feature on next Wednesday’s bill, Barry Lambert, Fox Sports senior advisor for Africa, said it was just too late in the day to get another heavyweight to fight Siliga. Lambert added: “We were all anxiously looking forward to seeing Marc in action after hearing so much about his ability.
"We were excited about him being the first Indian heavyweight to feature in a major professional tournament. There’s a dearth of heavyweights in this country and in the whole of Africa, hence the delight to have signed him for next week’s tournament.”
Meanwhile all the other fights go on as scheduled in the Fox Sports Africa Boxing tournament. It includes two WBA Pan African title fights and four international contests. South Africa’s Ayanda Nkosi will defend his WBA Pan African lightweight crown against Cosmos Cheka of Tanzania while Sikho Nqothole (South Africa) will meet Tanzanian Sunday Kiwale for the vacant WBA Pan African super flyweight title. Tickets for the Fox Sports Africa Boxing tournament at Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom are available from Computicket.