The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
Sports Reporter
FOR a long time now, Charles Manyuchi has been preparing for the day he finally hangs up his professional boxing gloves.
The Zimbabwean boxing champion, who holds the World Boxing Federation (WBF), Global Boxing Union (GBU) and World Alliance Boxing Association (WABA) titles, is taking livestock farming seriously. He is also into mining as well as transport and logistics.
The former World Boxing Council Silver welterweight champion also has interests in dog breeding.
However, he now intends to intensify his mission to breed more boxers.
Since the formation of the Charles Manyuchi Academy in 2017, a number of promising boxers have emerged from the stable, which is based in Chivhu, Mashonaland East.
National champions Tinashe Majoni (flyweight), Evans Usaihwevhu (lightweight), Hassan Milanzi (featherweight) and Tatenda Biningu (bantamweight) are some of the rising stars from the academy.
Usaihwevhu and Biningu are set for international title fights in August, as boxing nights return to Chivhu, Manyuchi’s adopted home.
The academy has lined up seven bouts on August 6.
Biningu will take on Philemon Hara of Zambia for the WBF Intercontinental Super Bantamweight belt in the main bout of the night. Before that match, Usaiwevhu will have a shot at the WBF Intercontinental lightweight title against Salim Chazama of Malawi.
“It’s my mission to lay the groundwork for the next generation of boxers. Some of us are nearing retirement, so it is wise to prepare the next stream so that Zimbabwe continues to enjoy boxing,” Manyuchi, who turns 33 in November, said.
He has been in professional boxing business since 2009.
Some of the titles he has won along the way include the African Boxing Union, WBC Intercontinental, WBC Silver and the WBF world title.
He is the current holder of the WBF middleweight title, which he defended against Muhamad Sebyala of Uganda in Masvingo on July 3, 2021. That night, he also won the recently founded WABA title and the GBU.
Since then, he has not defended the titles amid recent reports WABA were contemplating stripping the boxer of their title.
But there are indications Manyuchi could go for a World Boxing Association fight in September. The fight, which The Sunday Mail Sport understand has been brokered by Manyuchi’s former handlers Oriental Quarries of Zambia, could be staged in the United Kingdom. The boxer, however, could not explicitly confirm the bout.
“What I can tell you is that I will go to Zambia for camping after August 6. I will be preparing for a fight that will happen in Europe,” Manyuchi said.
“For now, the focus is on the boxing tournament in Chivhu. It’s an opportunity for the upcoming boxers to prove their mettle. “This is the kind of journey that I took when I was rising.”
Manyuchi rose to national prominence when he clinched the African Boxing Union after beating Patrice Sou Toke of Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on June 28, 2013. He then won the WBC International welterweight title against Ghanaian Patrick Allotey on March 15, 2015.
But he rose to international fame after claiming the WBC Silver title at the expense of Russian Dmitry Mikhaylenko on May 6, 2016.
That was before he lost the belt in the first round against Uzbek Qudratillo Abduqaxorov in Singapore on March 25, 2017. When it appeared all was lost for Manyuchi, the Mudzi-bred boxer rose from the canvass and claimed the WBF title after knocking out Diego Gallardo of Argentina in Harare on September 29, 2019.
Charles Manyuchi Academy tournament bout card:
Tatenda Mushando v Olivet Sithole (Lightweight); Itai Mutsvairo v Romeo Chibanda (Heavyweight); Monica Mkandla v Barbara Banda (Super Bantamweight); Clever Sithole v Karage Zuba (Super Bantamweight); Freeman Mabvongwe v Charles Misanjo (Middleweight); Evans Usaihwevhu v Salim Chazama (WBF Intercontinental Lightweight); Tatenda Biningu v Philemon Hara (WBF Intercontinental Super Bantamweight).
