The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
THERE were four ladies in that room and all of them were bound by a common vision.
They had a dream to see local boxers succeed on the global stage.
Although the occasion was more casual than formal, what was clear from this short meeting was that local boxing enjoys backing from the Government.
And it needed a little effort for this special meeting to happen, given that the host was a renowned Olympian during her time.
So, when Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (ZNBWCB) chairperson Vee Chibanda got in touch with the Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Kirsty Coventry, about a meeting with African Boxing Union (ABU) champion Aliyah Phiri, she happily obliged.
In fact, Minister Coventry — a former Olympic gold medallist — braved a strong flu to meet up with Phiri, the current ABU lightweight champion, at her offices in Harare on Thursday.
Minister Coventry needed little or no persuasion at all and was delighted to hear that Zimbabwe has a 23-year-old ABU champion in the form of Phiri.
She was also chuffed by the fact that Phiri’s promoter, Lindsay Earle, is female.
In fact, there were four women in that office, including ZNBWCB acting chief executive officer Priscilla Kadungure, a key figure in the day-to-day running of professional boxing in the country.
Phiri, the only Zimbabwean with an ABU title at the moment, presented his coveted belt to Minister Coventry, who, in turn, handed the pugilist US$1 750 as a token of appreciation.
Phiri’s promoter is one of the only two female professional boxing promoters in the country.
The other is Prosper Chibaya, who promotes former World Boxing Council Silver welterweight champion Charles Manyuchi.
“I didn’t know the boxer (Phiri) has a female promoter; this is nice,” Minister Coventry remarked.
Phiri’s promoter and the minister apparently share the same dream.
They are all determined to see Phiri scale dizzy heights and become a world champion.
In fact, Earle is confident Zimbabwe can soon host its own “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in the resort town of Victoria Falls, with Phiri taking on some of the world’s best pound-for-pound boxers.
That vision is also shared by the boxing board members, Chibanda and Kadungure.
But that is a long-term vision.
For now, Phiri has to defend his ABU title before taking aim at the WBC Africa belt, which is now the gateway into global boxing.
The Hatcliffe-bred star pugilist will defend his belt against Saidi Mkola of Tanzania in Harare on Friday night.
It was also in Harare where Phiri claimed the ABU title with a clinical second-round TKO against Israel “Money Machine” Kamwamba of Malawi on December 8 last year.
That victory pushed Phiri’s record to seven wins in nine bouts.
At number 34 in the world, he is now the best-ranked African boxer in the World Boxing Council ratings.
He is also now considered a three-star boxer.
“The idea is to get him (Phiri) to the top, where he can represent Africa against the world’s best,” Earle added.
“My dream is for Zimbabwe to host its own ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in a place like Victoria Falls with 5 000 people attending.
“Phiri has the talent; I have always believed in him and I am confident he will soon be taking on the world’s best,” said Earle.
If Phiri defends his title against Mkola, that will set him up for a shot at the WBC Africa title.
From there, he can then challenge for the WBC International, Silver and Gold.
Some local boxing analysts agree that Phiri has the pedigree to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Manyuchi, who rose from an ABU king to become a WBC Silver champion.
In fact, Phiri is being touted as the next big thing in boxing after Manyuchi.
Minister Coventry is also convinced.
“We wish him all the best in his next fight. I would have attended the fight but I have some international commitments.
“I will send representatives,” she said.
Nonetheless, Phiri will be cheered on by high-ranking officials, including boxing board chairperson Sibanda, when he takes on Mkola on Friday.
“Phiri is now a brand,” said Chibanda.
“Our request to come and meet with the honourable minister to present the championship belt was motivated by what has been achieved by Aliyah.
“We are happy that our request was accepted, and it shows us that boxing is given due consideration in our highest office for sport in the country,” she added.
Buoyed by support from the Government, Phiri is gunning for nothing short of victory against Mkola, a 30-year-old boxer from Dar es Salaam with a 9-0-1 record.
“I want to thank Zimbabweans for backing me in this journey,” said Phiri.
“I am motivated to keep flying the Zimbabwean flag high. Meeting the minister is a great honour because it’s not every day that one gets to meet a person of such stature.
“The ball is now in my court and I promise to deliver come Friday.
“Zimbabweans should come in their thousands to Avondale and witness a good boxing match.”
Phiri comes from a respected boxing family.
His father Issa and brother Ali are former boxers of repute.
Naturally, the Phiris charmed Minister Coventry.
“So, this is a family affair,” she quipped.
“I say congratulations to you, Baba (father) and your brother. It’s nice to see a family unit coming together and supporting each other.”
X: @LangtonGuraz
