South Africa’s Boxing Commission forbids boxers from competing in MMA

South African boxers curious about trying their luck in MMA will have a hard time transitioning to the sport in their home country.

It appears South Africa's Boxing Commission has explicitly forbid their licensed boxers from competing in Mixed Martial Arts tournaments due to concerns regarding the safety of the sport.

The news was revealed when World Boxing Federation All Africa heavyweight champion Elvis Moyo was banned from boxing after participating in MMA tournaments. The Zimbabwe native was caught following his heavyweight title fight against Brendon Groenwald at Extreme Fighting Championships.

When asked by Sherdog.com to explain the decision to ban Moyo from professional boxing, the chief executive of the commission, Loyiso Mtya, explained that they strictly forbid their licensed fighters to compete in dual combat sports without their consent.

"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.

"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."