The Sunday Mail
Zimbabwean-born World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organisation International heavyweight champion Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora intends to set up a boxing foundation in Harare, it has been established.
The launch of the Dereck Chisora Boxing Foundation, whose aim will be to identify and nurture boxing talent in the country, has been tentatively set for later this year. The 30-year-old Chisora, who is also the European Boxing Union champion, met his advisers on Wednesday in London where the boxer is said to have agreed to a proposal to set up the foundation.
Chisora was born in Harare’s high-density suburb of Mbare and moved to the United Kingdom when he was 14. Last week’s decisive meeting was one of many conferences held since the beginning of the year when the idea of setting up a boxing foundation was mooted by both Zimbabwean and UK-based stakeholders.
The Chisora camp confirmed the proceedings and said an official statement from the boxer, who is preparing for an important fight with Tyson Fury, would soon be released. Chisora squares off against British pugilist Fury on July 26 and the winner will be guaranteed a shot at Vladimir Klitschko’s WBO heavyweight title.
“The project is meant to uplift boxing, with special focus on the youngsters who will be groomed into forces ready to bring forth desired results.
“High international levels of professionalism will be adhered to and the project will be the best boxing venture on the continent and among the best in the world,” an official close to the venture revealed.
The biggest beneficiaries of the foundation will be the poor, talented youngsters in both the country’s high-density and rural communities. The foundation will be financed by Chisora and his international boxing contacts. The developments come at a time when local boxing is on a low due to the absence of promoters with deep pockets and the Zimbabwe Boxing Board of Control chairperson Paul Nenjerama is upbeat.
“One of our downfalls in boxing is that we do not have financially sound promoters who can sustain local action and the coming in of such arrangements will certainly boost us.
“We will support Chisora in his efforts to support young boxers. He is assured of our full backing,” said Nenjerama.
