adminLangton Nyakwenda – Sports Reporter
THE World Boxing Federation has warned that All Africa title holder Elvis “Bomber” Moyo will be stripped of the title if he fails to defend his crown within the next three months.
WBF president Howard Goldberg told The Sunday Mail that his body “has run out of patience” with the Bulawayo-born pugilist.
Moyo won the All-Africa heavyweight belt in November 2013 when he shocked former South African champion Osborne Machimana.
He should have defended the title six months later but his handlers have failed to organise a bout.
“Moyo’s title should have been vacated already, but I have convinced my committee to give him some grace time. We will allow him to keep the title for the time being, but if we do not get a fight for it in the next three months, the title will be vacated. It seems like nothing is happening in Zimbabwe for him to defend it sadly.
“He should have defended the title six months after he won it, time is running out for him and I am afraid our patience has been stretched,” said Goldberg.
It will be a blow to the local boxing fraternity should Moyo lose his title as he is the only other Zimbabwean, apart from Charles Manyuchi, with an international belt.
And Moyo seems to have given up.
“Without a promoter there is not much I can do. I will hold on to it (belt) till I am stripped. I will then sit and watch, hoping for another opportunity.
“There was some positive news coming from Zambia through promoter Antony Mwamba but it seems I will no longer fight for reasons best known to his camp. The last time he was in touch with my management team he said he was arranging something but now they say they can’t afford to stage the WBF defence fight.”
The South African-based Moyo, who was banned from boxing in Mzansi by the SA Boxing Commission following his involvement in the Extreme Fighting Championships (EFC), has declared that he will not stop participating in the mixed martial arts contests.
The ban has been condemned by EFC president Cairo Howarth and Moyo says he cannot afford to walk away from his only source of livelihood.
“The ban doesn’t affect me; I can still box in other countries. Anyway South Africa has nothing for me in terms of boxing. If I stop fighting in the EFC I will be stranded.
“In this regard, the whole ban issue is water under the bridge and I am past it, it never even affected me.”
Moyo won his last EFC fight, knocking out Tiny Strauss on August 8 at the EFC 32 Carnival City.
Online Reporter