All set for historic Take Money fight

Cutworth Masango

ZIMBABWE National Boxing Council and Wrestling Control Board chief executive, Lawrence Zimbudzana, yesterday said the historic World Boxing Council (WBC) interim super bantamweight world title bout will be held on Friday night.

Title holder, Kudakwashe Chiwandire, will defend her belt against Zulina Munoz of Mexico.

The winner between Chiwandire and Munoz will become the mandatory challenger for the emerging champion between Yamileth Mercado and Mariano Juarez.

These two will be facing each other for the WBC Super bantamweight World championship title in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Saturday.

The bout had been postponed several times due to financial constraints.

There are nine bouts on the card, including an exhibition fight between Zvenyika Arifonso and Spencer Matsangura.

“The hosting of this tournament sets yet another stage for us to witness a global boxing showcase and boxing history being made.

“The hosting of this event is aligned with the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board’s vision of becoming an inclusive and excelling combat sports nation by 2030.

“We are grateful to the Government of Zimbabwe for the generous support extended to the sector, which made the hosting of this event a reality,” said Zimbudzana.

“We are delighted by our champion for making the country proud.

“Her exploits are a clear testimony of the potential women in sports have in turning around the fortunes of sport in Zimbabwe.

“She is currently the highest-ranked female pugilist in Africa across all weight categories.

“However, there is still a lot of work to be done.

“The newly-appointed board is already embarking on stakeholder consultation in order to align its strategy with stakeholder expectations in a quest to reposition the sport as a significant contributor to the socio-economic discourses.”

Delta Force Promotions’ Clyde Musonda, who also acts as Chiwandire’s coach, thanked the Government for fulfilling its pledge to support the historic bill.

“We thank President Mnangagwa and his Government for fulfilling the pledge to support this historic bill.

“We call for more corporate and individual sponsors and well-wishers to come and support this event.

“Support can’t be financial only but can be through the provision of much-needed goods and services as there are some key areas in our budget that we are still attending to.”