Howarth lashes out at Moyo ban

Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) president Cairo Howarth admits he was surprised to see that the current WBF African heavyweight champion, Elvis Moyo, has been banned from boxing in South Africa due to his competing as an MMA athlete.

Sowetan Newspaper broke the story on Friday, July 11, and Howarth said he was disappointed to hear the news.

“I was surprised to read the article,” said Howarth.

“Elvis has fought for us on three occasions and has proven himself to be a highly professional athlete, and a fan favourite with his incredible boxing skills.

“We contracted him with the understanding that he would continue his boxing career when he was done competing at EFC, which from our point of view is beneficial to everyone.”

The article outlined alleged safety concerns as the chief motivator behind the ban.

The article also suggested that post fight medical monitoring in MMA is not up to standard, resulting in athletes competing with potentially harmful injuries.

Howarth has fervently denied this fact and said their medical standards are safer than that of boxing.

“The reasoning put forward in the article is based on incorrect information,” added Howarth.

“Extensive research conducted in various countries has shown that statistically MMA is at least as safe as boxing, if not more so. One of the reasons is that MMA has no standing ten count.

“There are also generally less head strikes due to kicks to the legs and body, and the majority of the bout is often grappling based.

“Athlete’s safety is our top priority.

“We are continually evolving to make sure our athletes receive the best care, and fight under the most professional conditions possible.”