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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
VETERAN boxing promoter Stalin Mau Mau, who returned to promote  the sport last year, has vowed not to look back in 2019 and promised more tournaments after his redemption.

Mau Mau, who has seen it all in as far as local boxing is concerned, was the man behind Arifonso Zvenyika’s ascendancy to the Commonwealth flyweight title in 1998 and equates his return to boxing promotion to an awakening phoenix and plans to host monthly bouts across Zimbabwe this year.

The hard talking businessman believes boxing in Zimbabwe has opened a new chapter, especially last year, a thing which his heart longed for in the past years when the sport was in the doldrums.

“I think we are moving in the right direction and 2019 should not be an exception but a massive revival for the sport. We have managed to host several tournaments which were very successful and that proved we can do it so we are not going to look back.

“We managed to hold the Boxing Graduation Night as well as the Night of Champions’ fights which were all successful and that gave us the confidence. I can assure you that the spirit I had before the disappointments is the same spirit that I still have,” Mau Mau said.

Turning to his boxing stable, the promoter had advice for some of his boxers who he said should put discipline ahead.

“Our intention is to have as many continental and inter-continental matches for the boxers as we target the 2020 World Championships and the ground should be prepared now.

“The only advice I would like to give to the boxers for this coming year is to work hard and maintain discipline which is vital in any sport code. We have seen many athletes who had potential but fell by the wayside because of disciplinary issues so I say this is not for my boxers alone but for everyone as they have the potential to bring back our nation on the world map.

“With the meagre budgets we have, we will try our best to have a representative fighting for a reputable tittle like the IBF and WBF in the near future,” added Mau Mau.

Boxing in Zimbabwe had a sudden redemption in 2018 as many promoters came on board.

The year saw Charles Manyuchi forming an academy, Kalakoda hosting high profile tournaments, Deltaforce coming on with several others and Mau Mau was not to be left out.