The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
FORMER lightweight and middleweight boxing champion Mordecai Donga is set to step back into the ring after eight years with a fight against Charles Manyuchi.
Dubbed “Judgement Night” the fight is scheduled for 21 December and is set to be the main bout on a night that will see several bouts on the card. Donga was last in the ring in Bulawayo in 2011 when he lost to Manyuchi, who now holds the World Boxing Federation world middleweight title and Global boxing Union Intercontinental Super Welterweight.
While Donga hanged up his gloves after the fight, Manyuchi’s star rose higher and higher and saw him take on several international opponents, travelling as far as Russia, Singapore and Italy as he took on the best in the world.
The period saw Donga dabble into boxing promotions, although he signed a few boxers and had made plans to take them to Namibia, a tiff with the then Zimbabwe National Boxing Control Board saw him abandon promoting boxing as he settled in Swaziland.
He was later drafted into the board and focused on administration leaving fighting to emerging stars. Speaking from his base in Swaziland, the former middleweight champion said while he had been out of action for eight years, it did not mean that he was not training and believes he has the strength and energy to take on the energetic Manyuchi.
“Despite being 41 years old, I feel I can still take him (Manyuchi) on, I did not stop training when I was out of the ring, I remained true to my habits and was always at the gym and exercising. Manyuchi might have been fighting all the time and squaring off against the best in the world but I think I believe I have what it takes to take him on and win. The challenge came from the Manyuchi camp after some boxers urged me to take him and give him a few lessons,” he said.
Donga said while they are yet to agree on whether it will be a title fight or non-title fight, he is hoping for that former. Manyuchi beat Argentine fighter Diego Diaz Gallardo via a third-round technical knockout at the Harare International Conference Centre in September to land the World Boxing Federation world middleweight title.
Earlier this year he beat another Argentine pugilist, Pablo Ezequiel Acosta to clinch the Global boxing Union Intercontinental Super Welterweight which was vacant at the time.
Donga said at 41 his return will only see him take part in four fights or less and he puts back his energies into promoting the sport through his Big Fish Boxing Promotions entity.
“No, I won’t be there for long and I think it will only be three or four fights but after that I am going back to promoting the sport,” he said. – @rasmthembo
