King Misuzulu kaZwelithini's aides are putting a ring of steel around the monarch after a boxing promoter used the king's name without his permission to promote a tournament in Durban.

The posters of the now-delayed tournament, dubbed the King Misuzulu International Boxing Tournament, also included the face of an internationally-renowned boxer, Floyd Mayweather, alongside King Misuzulu's.

King Misuzulu's spokesperson, Prince Thulani Zulu, said: "We can't allow people to use the king's name without getting prior permission because this compromises us."

"People know all the processes that must be undertaken before using the king's name. We urge people to desist from deliberately misusing the king's name."

The event was expected to take place at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday.

However, it was postponed after the promoter, Arnold Nododile, CEO of the promotional company J4Joy, was hit with court papers from Mayweather's lawyers ordering that the posters with his face be taken down on all platforms with immediate effect.

TimesLive reported that a letter sent by Johannesburg-based attorney David Feinberg dated 9 December accused Nododile of not paying Mayweather the money they had agreed on for his appearance at the tournament.

"You have breached the agreement in a number of respects, most notably by failing to pay our client the agreed fee for his attendance at the event, which was due, owing and payable to our client over a month ago," wrote the lawyer, representing Mayweather's company, The Money Team (TMT).

"Incidentally, our client has been informed that you did not obtain permission from King Misuzulu to use his name or image either."

The letter added: "We further demand that you immediately take down the infringing image, and any other images of our client, from any websites and other platforms."