The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
The Zimbabwe National Boxing Board of Control is headed for a showdown with two local pugilists after it failed to clear the pair for international title bouts citing a plethora of irregularities.
Misheck Kondwani and Tawanda Chigwida were billed to take shots at the World Professional Boxing Federation junior lightweight and lightweight belts respectively in Zambia next Saturday.
Kondwani was supposed to fight Ntumba Mwamba with Chigwida stepping up against Alfred Kaziwe.
However, the ZNBCC did not clear the pugilists arguing that Kondwani, for instance, did not qualify to challenge for an international title because of his poor record. The involvement of Delta Force boxing stable in organising the bouts was also denounced by the board.
ZNBCC argues that Delta Force are banned while the stable argues otherwise saying only its director Clyde Musonda was banned in his personal capacity. On their part Kondwani and Chigwida argue that they incurred costs while preparing for the fights and have hinted at claiming compensation. “I spent three months in the gym, incurred transport costs to and from the gym, paid licence and medical fees, so I expect to be compensated. The boxing board is displaying worrying double standards because they have in the past cleared boxers with worse records than us,” said Chigwida.
Kondwani is furious with the board and has threatened to quit the sport unless there are changes in the way boxing is run in the country.
“I do not know why they are denying us the chance to fight when we survive solely on boxing. The World Professional Boxing Federation vetted and certified us but our local board is coming up with a weird decision to bar us from fighting,” he fumed.
Boxing board spokesperson Gilbert Munetsi confirmed the development, adding that the boxers had a constitutional right to seek redress but should know the procedure they need to follow.
Munetsi disclosed that ZNBF executive members were last week forced to hand a copy of the Boxing Act to the police after Kondwani and Chigwida had a report at Harare Central Police Station.
“Their action portrays us as criminal yet our reasons for denying the clearance were merely professional and not personal. We have a duty to protect the boxers’ interests, surely how can a serious boxing sanctioning board tell you they want to clear someone, has been beaten in his last 13 fights, for an international fight?
“Yes we want our boxers to compete for international belts, but we have standards to maintain. The case at hand is made worse by the fact that the local handlers of the bouts are banned for flouting regulations,” said Munetsi.
