The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
THE US$45 000 limited edition bronze-made statue of the late great American heavyweight boxer, Muhammad Ali, is set to be auctioned in Zimbabwe.
The auction is meant to raise funds for World Boxing Council Interim Super bantamweight champion Kudakwashe Chiwandire’s title defence.
Chiwandire will face Zulina Munoz of Mexico in Harare on August 27.
She is expected to begin camp in South Africa on July 31 after attending the WBC and African Boxing Union convention, which begins in Victoria Falls next week.
The 27-year-old pugilist was invited to attend the convention by WBC’s leadership in another show of her growing international reputation.
And on Thursday, the JR Turner Foundation, an organisation that strives to preserve African history, donated the statue of former heavyweight world champion, Ali, to Chiwandire’s stable, Delta Force Academy.
The late Ali, who passed away in 2016, is regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time after putting up a record 56 wins and five losses.
JR Turner representative Gari Ben-Israel presented the special sculpture to Delta Force Academy at Harare Sports Club on Thursday morning.
“This statue is valued at US$45 000, so the JR Turner Foundation has decided to allow ‘Take Money’ (Chiwandire) and Delta Force to use it as a tool of auction, to auction it on behalf of raising the funds for defending the title,” said Ben-Israel.
“The JR Turner Foundation was founded and inspired by African people for the preservation of our history to be able to uplift those of African descent from wherever they live around the world and whatever endeavours they may have contributed to our people globally.”
The statue was designed by artist Jesse Richardson, whose family donated the piece to JR Turner in 2020 “as a tool to be able to preserve our history”.
Said Ben-Israel: “This is the original limited edition of the 50 pieces; this is 17 of the 50. This is one of the gifts that was given to us to assist us in making sure that our legacy as a people is maintained past, present and the future.
“We chose Zimbabwe because it is the house of stone. I think Zimbabwe speaks for itself.
“The JR Turner Foundation has been given a mandate by the Institute of African Knowledge to be able to build what is called the Great African Memorial Park.
“The park will be built in several places around the continent but mainly first here in Zimbabwe at the African Liberation Museum here in Harare.”
