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Tadious Manyepo

Sports Reporter

NEW World Boxing Council (WBC) women’s super-bantamweight interim gold champion, Kudakwashe “Take Money” Chiwandire, might be riding on the crest of a wave following her new found fame but her success story in the ring hasn’t transformed her financial standing.

Instead, she gobbled about thrice the purse money she won in the three months she spent preparing for the high-profile bout that she fought in Lusaka, Zambia, on Saturday night.

The 26-year-old Zimbabwean became a darling of the world after subduing Zambia’s Catherine Phiri at the New Lusaka Government Complex to land the prestigious title.

It was a sweet victory, attained on a split points decision, for a girl who had to endure all the hardships while growing up in Mbare before settling at her parents’ house in Dzivarasekwa.

And a red carpet was rolled out as pomp and fanfare greeted her at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport when she landed back home in the company of her coach/manager Clyde Musonda on Monday afternoon.

But despite winning the revered belt, the highest a Zimbabwean has ever attained, Chiwandire could only take home a paltry US$1 000 in purse money. Her trainer Musonda said in going into this fight, his camp knew the purse money was only US$1 000 but they had to challenge for the belt whose status and potential means more than just money.

“It’s not like we were cheated or what, but we knew this is what we were going to get as we were told about it well before by the promoters of this fight, Zambia’s Oriental Quarries,” said Musonda.

“It’s either we were going to take it or leave it, but the belt being a WBC gold, we couldn’t afford to think twice. Just a chance to challenge for this belt is very hard to come by. It was an opportunity never to be missed for that would mean we would have needed maybe forever to get another chance to take a crack at this huge crown.

“We were actually offered only funds to travel by road by the way. We were supposed to travel by road until funeral services company, Zororo-Phumulani got wind of it through a story published in The Herald.

“So it was Zororo-Phumulani who then bought us tickets to fly to Zambia. Had we travelled by road it would have meant the boxer would have been tired going into the ring.

“We were aiming to win the title for its status. We now have the title with us and that means we have the potential to make more money. The purse money before we won the title was never a concern for us. If anything, we have actually made significant losses if we are to factor in what we spent and what we got.” Musonda clarified that the WBC interim belt was a world title in its own right although there is a substantive gold title which is a notch above.

Chiwandire is now qualified to challenge for that title but Musonda believes she needs to build more confidence and experience before doing that.

“We are not going to rush her into challenging for that belt, no. We have the world title with us at the moment and we can’t rush to challenge for the one above what we have at the moment.

“We need to build a lot of experience and resolve by defending what we have maybe twice before going for the big one.

“So we are mandated to defend this title by June and next week we would have found an opponent I am sure. After that, if we are able to defend the belt then we also have to find another opponent maybe by December. That will prepare Chiwandire better to challenge for the big one.”