Govt rescues ‘Take Money’ big fight Kudakwashe “Take Money” Chiwandire

Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter

THE Government has stepped in to rescue Kudakwashe “Take Money’’ Chiwandire’s World Boxing Council interim super-bantamweight title defence against challenger Zulina Munoz of Mexico. 

The bout had initially been scheduled for last Saturday at the Harare International Conference Centre but it had been in doubt after promoters Delta Force Academy failed to put resources together. 

In fact, Chiwandire, was risking losing the belt without throwing a punch given the fight had also been postponed from August 27 due to the same reasons. 

But, the Government yesterday intervened to save the situation with the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board confirming the development. 

The board also met with Delta Force Academy to iron out some different issues and pave way for further fundraising activities. 

The two parties are expected to issue a joint statement as well to confirm the date of the fight which has been provisionally set for October 15 at the same venue. 

ZNBWCB chief executive, Lawrence Zimbudzana, yesterday confirmed that the Government had come to their rescue. 

“I can confirm the Government has stepped in to ensure the fight gets ahead as planned. We had been left stranded as a board as we tried to map a way forward but the Government has come to rescue the situation,” said Zimbudzana. 

“The Government has already given us the money which we need to stage the fight. Provisionally, the bout should be on October 15. 

“Kudakwashe Chiwandire’s opponent may arrive in the country this coming weekend so that she can acclimatise to the conditions in Zimbabwe. 

“We would have loved to have the fight this coming weekend but we have seen that it’s already too late. The good thing is that we are in touch with the authorities whom we have been updating on all the developments taking part pertaining to the hosting of the fight.” Zimbudzana could not immediately reveal any figures but reassured the fight is on. 

Zimbabwe will be hosting a WBC-sanctioned fight for the first time and ripple benefits are expected to be immense. 

But, there was a danger the WBC would strip the Zimbabweans of both the title and the hosting rights. 

However, through concerted efforts from the responsible authorities, the world’s best sanctioning boxing board decided to be patient. 

“We had to be in constant touch with the WBC authorities as well as the Chiwandire opponent’s camp. It’s not been very easy so to speak but we would like to thank them for their listening ears and for being considerate. We would like to thank our Government for the gesture and we can now confirm the fight is on,” said Zimbudzana.

“The past weeks have been hectic as we tried to save the fight. Zimbabwe stands to benefit a lot from the staging of this boxing tournament here. The benefits are immense.

“Boxing will never be the same again after this event and we are calling upon Zimbabweans to come in their numbers and support our boxer (Chiwandire) who has shown great potential in the ring.” 

Delta Force Academy spokesperson, Erick Kandiwa, confirmed his organisation met the ZNBWCB yesterday. 

“The fight between Kuda Chiwandire and Zulina Munoz is on. We have made some progress and today (yesterday), we met the ZNBWCB. We discussed a lot of issues and I should say the engagement was very much fruitful. We discussed several issues including contracts. 

“We are glad to confirm that the fight is very much on and we will be announcing the date together with the board,” said Kandiwa. 

Chiwandire, who is in camp, can now focus again knowing the fight is on. 

She has been preparing for the title defence since she won the crown against Catherine Phiri of Zambia on February 26 at the Lusaka Government Complex. 

She had a two-weeks training camp in South Africa in August, courtesy of Zororo Phumulani, a subsidiary of Doves Zimbabwe as well as her anchor sponsor KGK Logistics. She was engaged in two sparring duels with top South African boxers during her stay in the neighboring country where she also got time to interact with South Africa-based Zimbabwe football legends including Innocent Chikoya and Edelbert Dinha who were gathered together by Zororo Phumulani.

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