WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) international welterweight champion Charles Manyuchi is in confident mood as he prepares for the high-profile bout against Russian Dmitry Mikhaylenko for the vacant WBC welterweight silver title in Yekaterinburg on May 6.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
Manyuchi’s preparations for the fight are gathering pace with the Zimbabwean star beginning his second week of training under the watchful eye of the Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotion (OQBP) coaching team headed by Mike Zulu.
The 26-year-old boxer, who has been working hard on his fitness for the past two weeks, promised a spectacular show against the 29-year-old Russian, who is currently undefeated in 21 bouts.
“My preparations have started well and I’m looking forward to the fight against the Russian boxer,” said Manyuchi, whose record stands at 17 wins, two losses and one draw.
“My coaching team, which includes Mike Zulu, Kim Gittings and Greetings Kaonga, has been concentrating on improving my fitness. Due to the recent inactivity, I’m not yet ready to start fighting so the plan is to work on my fitness until the second week of April,” he said.
Manyuchi, who is unbeaten in his last 15 fights since losing on points to South African Page Tshesane in May 2010, said he was not intimidated by his opponent’s unbeaten record.
“I’m not worried about the record of the Russian (Mikhaylenko). Of course, his record shows that he’s a very good boxer, yes he’s undefeated, but I’m not intimidated. I’m Charles Manyuchi and I’m the landlord in the ring. I always go into a fight to win and I want to win this fight to prove to people that we have the talent and boxing has the potential to become a very big sport in Zimbabwe.
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“It saddens me that contact sports like boxing and karate do not get the attention they deserve, but I will continue working hard to put Zimbabwean boxing on the world map,” he said.
Manyuchi has held the WBC international welterweight title since March 2014 when he beat Ghana’s Patrick Allotey.
He successfully defended his WBC crown in November that same year when he defeated Colombian Devis Casseres which earned him the Sportsperson of the Year accolade.
Last year Manyuchi, who also holds the African Boxing Union welterweight title, yet again raised the country’s flag high when he retained his title against Italy’s Gianluca Frezza.
