The Sunday News
THE success of Zimbabwean athletes is the country’s success because such have gone all the way to raise the profile of the country on the world map. If there were lingering doubts over that notion, then that must have been put to rest as Zimbabweans turned out in their numbers to welcome the country’s boxing super hero Charles Manyuchi at the Harare International Airport last week.
After all, not so long ago, we had become accustomed to, especially in boxing, to be reminded of its existence from success stories in neighbouring countries such as South Africa.
Yes as they say soccer is the most beautiful game, boxing is a sweet science that has been seriously embraced by many countries due to its countless rags-to-riches stories. But there has been nothing “sweet” about that sporting code in Zimbabwe, that was popularised in the country by the likes of Proud “Kilimanjaro” Chinembiri (might be now turning in his grave in awe), Langton “School boy” Tinago, Nokuthula Tshabangu, Arifonso “Mosquito’’ Zvenyika, Mordecai Donga, Ezwell Ndlovu, and Thamsanqa Dube.
Dube won the Pan-African WBA heavyweight bout in 2009, Zvenyika is the former light flyweight Commonwealth champion, Chinembiri, won the African Boxing Union All Africa heavyweight title, and Langton “Schoolboy” Tinago is a past Commonwealth lightweight and super featherweight champion.
Boxers such as Ambrose Mlilo, Nokuthula Tshabangu, Trust Ndlovu, Duke Chinyadza, Ezwell Ndlovu, Linus Murabwa and Simon Sankulani went on to win either silver or bronze medals in different divisions and editions after Independence.
That was then, until the emergence of Charles Manyuchi who has further cemented his name into Zimbabwe’s boxing folklore arguably as the greatest of them all.
We can also remember the generosity of Phillip Chiyangwa, Stalin Mau Mau, the late Jeff Dube, Douglas Gadzira and Themba Mliswa, all who assisted financially in the sport.
But as we were still wondering what was really happening to the sport, which undoubtedly is rich in talent, but disappointingly short on financial assistance and corporate partnerships in this country, suddenly a hero came along.
Manyuchi recently overcame Russia’s Dmitry Mikhaylenko via a unanimous points decision following 12 rounds of fierce combat to become the World Boxing Council welterweight silver champion. It was his 15th straight win and his second straight fight on European soil.
What made the boxing world stand up and applaud the Zimbabwean pugilist was that it was delivered before Mikhaylenko’s 27 000 home crowd at the DIVS Hockey Arena in Ekaterinburg. It was the Mikhaylenko’s first defeat in 22 professional fights and that it was delivered at home, before his noisy fans, should have been a bitter pill to swallow.
Fears that Manyuchi could falter having last fought competitively in July 2015, turned out to have been unfounded.
The victory meant that Manyuchi relinquished his WBC international welterweight title to become the silver belt champion.
Notable former holders of the title include British boxer Amir Khan who, ironically was paid US$13 million for losing the WBC middleweight contest to Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas to Manyuchi’s $35 000. Manyuchi is now ranked 4th in the WBC Welterweight rankings behind Amin Khan of Great Britain, Lamont Peterson and Andrew Berto (both from the United States).
The champion is Danny Garcia of the United States of America. From Manyuchi’s recent exploits, the BOLD message is that there is still hope for our boxing and that concrete steps should be taken to save the sport from total annihilation.
Manyuchi’s feat has exorcised the ghost that has bedevilled the sport in this country. The launch of Mordecai Donga Big Fish Boxing Promotions in March 2014, gave us all hope.
We recall at the colourful launch, one of Bulawayo’s legendary boxing trainers Phillip “Striker’’ Ndlovu praising the birth of the initiative saying if Donga and his partners followed talk with action then boxing was headed for good times.
“I am excited by the launch and if they implement the ideas they outlined then I see good times ahead for boxing. What we need is to have bouts being staged because we have not been getting the arena where they can perform. The move will give room to the many talented youngsters in the city to easily express their talent.’’
At that time and just as it is now, upcoming talent has been crying foul because there were no platforms through which they could continuously exhibit their God-given skills and benefit from it, largely due to lack of corporate support.
At the Big Fish launch Zimbabwe Boxing Control Board liaison officer for Bulawayo Province Gabriel Moyo reminded the attendees and rightly so, that Zimbabwe was endowed with talent with potential to win world titles.
“We can achieve that success but we need support from companies to help us revive the sport because it is in the doldrums. We can’t do it alone because we do not have the requisite funds to hold bouts, and while entities like Big Fish might host bouts they are unlikely to make it without corporate support,’’ said Moyo, a former boxer himself.
How true! Two years down the line Big Fish promotions, is no more. It suffered a still birth and along went all those BIG dreams.
But the big question that we should all be asking ourselves is, will it take Manyuchi’s Zambian stable Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions to produce a World Champion for Zimbabwe?
Are we not ashamed as Zimbabweans that our dreams are being brought to fruition by our neighbours? Shouldn’t we celebrate mutedly because we have not done enough to see Manyuchi through to his success?
Already some in Zambia have embraced Manyuchi as one of their own.
Many in that country have already predicted that the Zimbabwean boxer will soon replicate the same performance of their late Lottie “Gunduzani” Mwale, arguably one of the best boxers to come out of Zambia.
Mwale, had conquered Africa and Europe, and many Zambians fully believed that he was going to conquer America and become World Champion, only to lose to American Saad Muhammad for the WBC light-heavyweight belt in November 1980.
Finally, there is a saying that has drawn my attention over the years to the absurdities of life in sport in this country.
It goes something like this: “We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much for so little, that we are now qualified to do anything for nothing.’’
No matter how much our athletes try, how much effort they make under trying circumstances, there appears to be little appreciation. A case in point is CHARLES MANYUCHI!
The long and short of it is that corporate sector, the Government and individuals should now dig deeper into their pockets, so that boxing, a sport known for its rags-to-riches stories, is extricated from the doldrums.
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