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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
NEWLY established Victoria Falls Boxing Academy has extended a begging bowl to well-wishers in a bid to raise funds for acquiring equipment.
The academy was established in June 2015 in the resort town and has so far organised six tournaments in this sport-starved tourist destination.
The academy has 52 amateur boxers under its wings and managed to send two of them to the recently held National Youth Games in Chinhoyi where Webster Sangarwe won a bronze medal.
The academy’s chairman Tobias Owen Muposiwa said the road was getting tougher for them, as they are struggling to get adequate resources for training and to hold regular bouts.
“We started with the aim of bringing the sport to Victoria Falls and groom youngsters so they can benefit from their talent.
“We already have two boys that participated in the Youth Games and one brought a bronze medal. This is a sign of good things to come since it was our first time and all we need now is support from the community,” said Muposiwa.
He said the academy was in a dire need of training gear that includes gloves, punch bags, groin protectors, head gear, tooth guards as well as a ring.
“We get the ring from Hwange Colliery Club, but now it’s damaged, hence we won’t be able to hold any tournaments.
“Even when they give us, we still need to transport it to Victoria Falls and that costs money, so we are appealing to the corporate world to come to our rescue and help these youths. We also missed a tournament in Bulawayo last Saturday because of lack of money,” he said.
Of the boxers in his stable, Muposiwa said 43 were between the ages of five and 18, while nine are from 18-23 years old.
The boxers train at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School, while bouts are held at Shoestrings Backpackers. — @ncubeleon
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter