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THERE was a time when local boxing used to compete for the back pages in the local newspapers. Boxing was such a huge sport in Zimbabwe, well managed and with corresponding success in regional and international competitions.

Zimbabwe produced some decorated boxers in the past, the likes of Beira Tar Baby, Ringo Starr, Kid Power, Proud “Kilimanjaro” Chinembiri, Langton “Schoolboy” Tinago, Arigoma Chiponda, Zvenyika “Mosquito” Arifonso, Gilbert ‘’Giro’’ Josamu, Ambrose Mlilo and lately Charles Manyuchi.

You probably could also have heard of some of the talented sportsmen that made the sport popular across generations.  

Since Independence in 1980, the local boxing rings have been graced by exciting characters such as Gilbert “Giro” Josamu, Stix Macloud, Joseph “Kid Power” Mutamisi, Hisman “Flash” Chisango, Mahomad “Tar Baby” Alfonse, Ringo Starr, Cranos “The Dancing Master” Zuma, Arigoma “Master Blaster” Chiponda, Mordecai Donga, Ambrose Mlilo, Nokuthula Tshabangu, Monalisa Sibanda and Patience Mastara to name a few.  

Promoters such as Titus “Big Tito” Kuzamba, Stalin Mau Mau, Dave Wellings, Paul Murinye, Phillip “Captain Fiasco’’ Chiyangwa and Clyde Musonda, have done their best to make the sport popular.

But of late, boxing in Zimbabwe has been in free fall despite the individual efforts of those involved in development and promotion.

The sport appeared to be nearing rock bottom in the last two weeks. In fact, it was always coming to this following the protracted leadership vacuum spawned by the absence of the national boxing board for the last two years.

The Secretariat has been running the affairs of the sport, at least to keep it going. 

But they have their limitations and this has had profound effects in the proper administration and growth of the sport in this country.

Professional boxers have also suffered directly from this anomaly. The last National Boxing Control Board was appointed by the then Sport Minister, Makhosini Hlongwane, in 2017 and its tenure expired on December 31, 2019.

The void has made it difficult to execute policy roles in accordance with the Boxing and Wrestling Act, Chapter 76 of 1956. 

Currently, the secretariat has to take over the functions of the board, including licensing stakeholders and sanctioning tournaments.

Apparently, the stakeholders in the industry are not happy with the way the sport is being administered at the moment and if the situation is not addressed, the sport is facing a certain collapse.

The appointment of the boxing board is the prerogative of the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation. This week a resolution to boycott all boxing activities was passed by the stakeholders if the Ministry fails to appoint a supervisory board “within seven days”.  

The meeting, which was also held virtually for the benefit of people from outside Harare, was convened by local boxing promoters and executives who raised issues related to challenges they said they saw, most notably a lack of representation in the current situation.

A boxing authority, they lamented, has not been in place for nearly a full term, a situation they said had led to a number of irregularities hampering progress.

Boxing leadership in the country came under the spotlight last November when 24-year-old boxer Taurai Zimunya collapsed and later died from injuries sustained during a bout.

Recently, promoters and managers have been up in arms with the Secretariat following the announcement of revised license fees and other requirements to be met by promoters in order to qualify for licensing.

In a no-holds-barred correspondence to the Minister of Sport, Kirsty Coventry, the local boxing stakeholders threatened the spot will be paralysed if no corrective measures were taken.

“The non-appointment of the board of directors by your office has left the boxing club operating on autopilot and the Secretariat adopting a ‘laissez faire’ attitude as there is no governing body to monitor and regulate its activities.

“With the above in mind, we, as boxing stakeholders, would like to require that your honourable office provide reasons within seven (7) days of receipt of this letter as to why we should not boycott all boxing activities in the country until a boxing council is appointed.

“We look forward to your response within seven days and should we receive no response or positive feedback on the matter, we advise that we all boycott all boxing activities in the country until our demands are met,” they indicated in the letter.

The good thing is that the Ministry of Sport, Youth, Arts and Recreation have acknowledged the challenges facing local boxing and have promised to appoint the boxing board as part of the long-term solutions.

For that reason, there no longer exist any grounds for the planned boycotts.

 Sanity has to prevail in the sport. Boxing holds so much potential in Zimbabwe and all the stakeholders need to pull in one direction so that more “Kilimanjaro’s” and “Schoolboys” of this generation get the platform to raise the country’s flag high.