Southern EyeTHE fight between reigning Zimbabwe heavyweight champion Thamsanqa Dube and Trevor Mpofu has been moved to April 25 with a host of international boxers drawn from neighbouring countries set to take part in the bill.
SAKHELENI NXUMALO
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Former Pan-African World Boxing Association champion Dube had initially been scheduled to trade leather with his challenger Mpofu on March 28, but the bill promoter Clive Musonda told Southern Eye Sport the fight had been moved forward to next month.
“We needed more time to come up with a bill that would feature international matches and we have since inked deals with boxers from as far afield as Kenya,” he said.
“There will be two female boxers from Kenya, one female boxer from Zambia and Malawi respectively. From South Africa and Namibia two male boxers have signed up to come and fight with a single male boxer from Botswana completing the foreign contingent.”
The Delta Force Boxing Club supremo, however, said he would only reveal how the boxers that had signed up for the bill would pair up after presenting the bill to the Zimbabwe National Boxing Control Board this morning.
The Dube-Mpofu fight will be the main drawcard though and Musonda said the two fighters would be getting their fight contracts today.
Mpofu’s trainer Philip Striker confirmed they had been informed by Musonda the contracts were on their way and said their preparations for the fight were on course.
The winner of the Dube,-Mpofu fight will face World Boxing Federation African champion Elvis Moyo in June.
Meanwhile, five Bulawayo based clubs on Saturday took part in a Bulawayo Boxing Association-organised amateur tournament that was held at Manor Hotel.
Wiseman Tshuma of Lobengula Boxing Club emerged as a bright prospect for the future after knocking out Headquarters One Brigade’s Godknows Sithole in the first round of lightweight bout before triumphing over Sithole’s stablemate Casper Mnkandla on points in the final.
There were no winners in other divisions after officials decided boxers were too battered to fight again while in the welterweight division Brighton Masiyambumbi of Nketa Boxing Club and Assuarance Moyo of Lobengula Boxing Club were disqualified for “not taking their fight seriously,” according to official Ezwell Ndlovu.
“The officials thought boxers had pre- determined the result of their fight, so they were both disqualified while the other semi-finals were shelved because boxers were in no condition to fight again,” Ndlovu said.
Another tournament is set for March 21.
