Ngoni Dapira

THE die has been cast.

Mutare Sports Club will be in the spotlight once again on 23 May when boxers from across the region converge for the international boxing tournament dubbed, “The Pride of Mutare International Boxing Tournament.” There will be 17 bouts of topflight boxing action billed as the thriller of the year .

The tourney will mark the return of live amateur  and professional boxing in the city since 2015 when Manicaland hosted the 13th edition of the National Youth Games. The tournament has been sanctioned by the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board.

Boxers from Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania will contend in various weight divisions, making it truly an international spectacle.

Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy and City of Mutare representatives during the press conference.

Organised by the Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy in collaboration with Mutare City Council, the international boxing tournament is a first of its kind in the eastern border city. During a press conference in Mutare last week Wednesday, the Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy marketing and media manager Nicola Chiunya said the tournament and partnership with the City of Mutare is a major step in developing boxing, not only in the city of Mutare, but Zimbabwe and Africa at large.

“It creates a platform for young boxers to showcase their skills, gain international exposure and pursue their dreams. As the Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy our vision has always been to uplift boxing, empower youth and create opportunities. Through tournaments like these we continue to build pathways for the next generation of champions,” said Chiunya.

She said the partnership with the City of Mutare will also market the eastern border city as a key destination for hosting international sporting events, especially after successfully hosting the first decentralized Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel Expo last year.

L-R: Mutare deputy Mayor John Nyamhoka and the town clerk Blessing Chafesuka square it off during the press conference.

Chiunya heartily thanked the local authority for being the first to partner and believe in their vision.

“The Pride of Mutare International Boxing tournament is here and it is going to be bigger, stronger and better than ever. We are inviting everyone, the media, other corporate and individual sponsors and the public to support and be part of this historic event,” she said.

City of Mutare town clerk Blessing Chafesuka said their contribution will come from the local authority’s sporting budget. “I can assure you we will cater for everything to make this tournament successful but we are not closing the door on other sponsors that want to make it better. They can still come on board. This is an initiative by the City of Mutare through our sporting budget. I however can not disclose the actual budget at this point,” said Chafesuka.

Charles Manyuchi

Charles Manyuchi said his passion and vision is to grow the boxing sport in Zimbabwe and discover the next boxing icon for Zimbabwe. “Everywhere is my home, whether in Bulawayo, Gweru or Mutare. So I feel proud to be back here in Mutare just to put an exciting tournament here in Mutare,”  said Manyuchi.

The 36 year old Manyuchi who turns 37 this year in November is a professional boxer who briefly held the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver welterweight title with 18 international belts to his name, just one belt below Zimbabwe boxing icon, the late Proud Kilimanjaro, whose real name was Proud Chinembiri. Manyuchi had a run of 17 consecutive victories in his career. He made his professional debut in 2009, and won the African Boxing Union welterweight title in 2013. In 2014, he won the WBC International welterweight title against Patrick Allotey. He made headlines after he successfully defended his WBC crown in Zambia against Devis Caceres, which also earned him Zimbabwe’s Sports Person of the Year accolade in 2014.

Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy public relations manager Lincoln Matare also appealed for more sponsors to come on board to make the tournament historic. He added that historically Manicaland has produced notable boxing stars, the likes of Snake Mandeya who hailed from Honde Valley

He said even the late boxing icon Kilimanjaro hailed from Buhera  and used to play premier league soccer for Mutare United before switching to professional boxing where he made use of his towering figure.

Kilimanjaro, who passed on in July 1994 was a Zimbabwean heavyweight boxer, who was the Zimbabwean heavyweight champion between 1982 up to his retirement in 1990, and ABU champion between 1982 and 1987, and again between 1988 and 1990. He once challenged for the Common Wealth title in 1987.

At his peak, Kilimanjaro was ranked number 14 in the world by the WBC and ranked number two (2) in the Common Wealth, sparking international interest. In his career, Kilimanjaro was never knocked down or legitimately knocked. The only methods that he lost were either technical knockout or a points decision.

City of Mutare chairperson of the community services, housing and education committee councilor Jeffery Nyamana said as a local authority they want to promote boxing as a professional sport. He said back in the days when he was a child they used to watch what they called Wafa Wafa boxing which was more like street boxing, but now he has the opportunity to promote professional boxing and help nurture future boxing talent.

“We are witnessing the beginning of great things. We are happy this is happening and we believe the sport of boxing will help eradicate the scourge of drug and substance abuse amongst our youths as it is a sport that instills discipline,” said clr Nyamana.