THE country’s boxing welterweight champion Charles Manyuchi will next month travel to Zambia to take on Ghanaian Patrick Allotey for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) title.
BY HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
The fight, to be staged on January 25 in Lusaka, is being organised by Zambia’s Oriental Quarries Promotions.
Media reports yesterday suggest that the organisation’s Operations Manager Christopher Malunga was in Harare last week to negotiate with Manyuchi and an agreement was reached.
Other local boxers also being courted to take part at the event are Monalisa Sibanda, Wesley Macdade, Chamunorwa Gonorenda and Misheck Kondwani, with a view to have them provide supporting bouts.
But it is the main event between Manyuchi, the African Boxing Union (ABU) welterweight champion and Allotey, the WBC silver international champion, who has an unbeaten record of 30 fights with 24 knockouts that promises to provide fireworks.
The Masvingo-born Manyuchi, who also boasts of a record of 15 fights, 12 victories with six knockouts, two losses and one draw, told the Zambian Post yesterday that he will dent the unbeaten record of the Ghanaian.
This is not the first time Manyuchi has faced a Ghanaian fighter in recent times, having knocked out Isaac Sowah to defend his ABU welterweight title.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“I have seen his record, my coaches say he is a good boxer, but for me, he is nothing,” Manyuchi said.
“He fought with Patrice Toke, the same boxer I knocked out to get the ABU, but he struggled to beat him . . . that shows he is not good enough.”
Manyuchi, known for his funny gesticulations when fighting, said he was yet to face a serious challenger in his career.
“If he is a good boxer, then people will see me fight, I am yet to fight. I am a record breaker, I will break his record,” he said.
Allotey fought Toke in December 2011 for the WBC silver international welterweight title and the Ghanaian won on unanimous points decision.
In June this year, Manyuchi knocked out Toke in Burkina Faso to grab the Africa Boxing Union welterweight which he went on to defend against Sowah in Zambia in October.
Malunga said: “Zimbabweans have proven to be popular with the boxing-following community in Zambia, especially after Manyuchi’s exploits. The young man is the darling of the ring. So we said to ourselves, why not help ourselves to another piece from the same loaf, which is why we want to assess the other four.
“It is not very often that an event of this magnitude visits us, but when it does, we have to share the cake as neighbours. A good number of television stations are keen to beam the big fight live for their respective citizenry and Zimbabwe, too, ought to reap benefits from such an occasion,” he said.
