South Africa’s Boxing Commission: ‘Boxers Are Not Allowed to be Involved in MMA’
Elvis Moyo, the World Boxing Federation All Africa heavyweight champion will no longer be allowed to box in South Africa after the country’s athletic commission discovered he also competes in mixed martial arts.
The 30-year-old Zimbabwean had managed to compete in MMA undetected since March, but Boxing SA officials caught wind of his participation following his Extreme Fighting Championship Africa heavyweight title fight against Brendon Groenewald on June 5.
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“Professional boxers are not allowed to be involved in mixed martial arts,” Mtya said. “But it is not easy for us to monitor them. They fight without our consent. Elvis is not going to fight with us [Boxing SA] any more. It is really a concern for us that our boxers fight in mixed martial arts tournaments.”
Mtya says that the stark difference between boxing and MMA comes in the way the two combat sports are governed, citing several strict regulations that are intended to make boxing safer and the absence of these same rules in MMA.
“Their (MMA) gloves are too small,” Mtya added. “They use elbows, they kick and when a guy is down, they do not stop for a count. Instead, a guy is hit when he is down. They are allowed to go into the next fight while still injured from their previous fight because there is no punishment index.”
Moyo has fought three times for EFC and maintains a MMA record of (1-2), while his professional boxing tally is (4-5-2).
