The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
CHARLES MANYUCHI will relinquish his World Boxing Council International welterweight belt when he steps into the ring against Russian champion Dmitry Mikhaylenko for the WBC Silver title on May 6.
In an emailed response to questions from this publication, the World Boxing Council last week said 26-year-old Manyuchi would have to vacate the title as he was challenging for a belt that was a notch higher.
“According to the chairman of the International Title, if Manyuchi fights for Silver Title, the International Title becomes vacant,” the WBC explained.
The WBC Silver welterweight title fight takes place at DIVS Hotel in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
And should Manyuchi lose against Mikhaylenko , who is undefeated in his 21 fights and is ranked 29 places higher than the Zimbabwean, he will wake up on May 7 without any boxing belt to his name.
International boxing practice states that when a champion opts to move to another weight division or challenges for a higher belt, he or she vacates the title which will be fought for by the next line of pugilists.
The WBC Silver welterweight title, which Manyuchi and Mikhaylenko are vying for, fell vacant after Amir Khan of Britain opted to challenge Saul Alvarez for the WBC world middleweight title.
The Alvarez-Khan fight is on at the T-mobile arena in Las Vegas in the United States on the same day Manyuchi and Mikhaylenko do battle in Russia.
However, Manyuchi , who has intensified training in Lusaka is adamant he will still be the International champion, even if he loses to Mikhaylenko.
“I did not challenge for the title, it is a vacant title. My understanding is that I will still hold onto my WBC International belt even if I lose in Russia.
“Anyway, let’s not talk about that. Are you afraid I will lose the fight in Russia? It is the Russian who has to be afraid, very afraid.
“I am a boxing warrior, all these technicalities will not matter because I am going to beat Dmitry,” declared Manyuchi.
His manager, Chris Malunga, was not available for comment last week.
However, the decision to bid for a higher level belt at a time Manyuchi’s sharpness is in question has led some to speculate on the Zambian promoters’ intentions.
The general feeling in local boxing circles is that a title defence would have been more ideal for Manyuchi, who last fought in July 2015 and is battling to shed weight as fight night approaches.
The weight limit for the welterweight category is 66,7kg and Manyuchi was 13kg heavier when he went into camp just over three weeks ago.
Manyuchi, whose record stands at 17-2-1, is ranked 46th in the world.
The Zimbabwean champion was also unsettled between November and February when he broke ranks with Oriental Quarries before a reunion was brokered.
On the other hand, Mikhaylenko’s latest fight was on January 30 when he beat American Karim Mayfield in Canada to land the vacant USBA welterweight title.
