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Charles Manyuchi

Caroline Magenga Sports Reporter
WORLD Boxing Council welterweight international boxing champion, Charles Manyuchi, says he is still pained that his country doesn’t value his achievements while foreigners, like the Zambians, are hailing him as a hero. Manyuchi defended his WBC title after beating Colombian fighter Deivis Casseres in second round technical knock-out victory in Lusaka, Zambia.

“Winning the title was through a lot of hard work but I am thankful I managed it through the help and contributions of my team and I also received a lot of support in Zambia,” Manyuchi told a media conference yesterday.

“I receive a lot of support but not from my own country and that is painful for me to bear, inasmuch as I am a foreigner in Zambia whenever I am that side they see to it that I am taken care of and they really appreciate my skills. “They played a big part in issues to do with training and equipment, and their recognition of me, to the extent that I was offered citizenship though I could not accept due to the fact that I love that I am Zimbabwean and would not want to change that because I love my country.

“Locally, the ministry has done nothing for me and all the promises I was given when I first won the title have not materialised to date and while I still come when I am told there is a press release I have now just lost hope of anything ever happening.

“The issue is not all about the money but even that moral recognition to say congratulations, you are doing well for your country, that moral support goes a long way in encouraging someone and motivating them.

“This is also crucial for young boxers, so that they are motivated to reach this stage because they see the kind of support, valuation and recognition one will be getting and it inspires them.”