The Sunday Mail
BOXING champion Charles Manyuchi got some valuable tips from President Mugabe during a reception hosted at State House on Thursday.
Manyuchi knocked out Italian Gianluca Frezza in Italy on July 18 to retain his WBC title and last week joined the likes of swimming icon Kirsty Coventry, Paralympics gold medalist Elliot Mujaji and Comrades Marathon hero Stephen Muzhingi who have been hosted by President Mugabe in recognition of their excellence.
Apart from spoiling the world champion with $50 000, the President took time to impart wisdom to the boxer just before he delivered his prepared speech.
“In whatever we do, victory we always aspire. When failure does come we say that is an accident, isn’t it?
“It does not matter what we gain, it is always success, victory. That is our policy.
“It is difficult to pass an exam, but you must work hard. It is difficult to achieve prowess in the area of boxing.
“In the academic area, the intellectual area, kids are fighting ignorance; the mind must know that which it did not know yesterday.
“Boxing is much harder; it is not like football, basketball, netball where you are assisted by others, there is team spirit.
“In boxing that singularity, oneness, makes you undertake the task as a do or die one. You have the other man out to hit and hit you to the best of his ability.
“Knowing, of course, which parts are out of reach, even though some are within reach, they are not to be the target of your fist; in sport you are not there to kill each other.
“You must know not just how to deliver the fist, to throw them, you must know where to hit, where the impact of your blows can tell, you have to be careful whether it is an uppercut, all those blows you throw,” said President Mugabe.
Manyuchi acknowledged the President as the finest “boxer” of them all and presented the iconic leader with a pair of boxing gloves.
“While we have referees with us in the ring, he (President Mugabe) has braved the most unfair bouts to take this nation forward.
“My gift to you, Baba, are these boxing gloves. Munongomashandisa kurova mhandu dzenyika yedu chete, kwete kuna Amai, Baba (Use them only for fighting the country’s enemies and not against Amai),” Manyuchi said jokingly.
