adminGilbert Munetsi Sports Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe National Boxing Control Board have responded to the $100 000 lawsuit by promoter Clyde Musonda of Delta Force Boxing Academy labelling him “a foreign criminal.”
They question Musonda’s loyalty (whom they said is a Malawian national, but has Zimbabwean residence) after he assisted a Malawian boxer (Wilson Masamba) in his corner fighting a Zimbabwean boxer in a previous tournament also hosted by Kalakoda.
“We are not talking about a man who has abundant loyalty to this country, but about a foreign criminal abusing the country’s hospitality,” claimed the board.
Musonda instructed his lawyer, Collins Rungwandi of Matsika Legal Practitioners, to file the suit against the boxing sanctioning body for alleged loss of income after he had his licence revoked for breaching standing boxing regulations.
They had given the Richard Hondo-led board seven days to respond.
The papers were copied to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation Kazembe Kazembe.
The promoter indicated in the suit he was supposed to benefit from his partnership with the organisers of the New Dawn tournament, Kalakoda Boxing Promotions, but his dreams had gone up in smoke when the ZNBCB cancelled his licence at the 11th hour.
Documents at hand show that as part of the arrangement, Delta Force Boxing Academy was to get a 70 percent split of revenue from the bar, keep the ring canvass after the tournament as well as all sponsorships specific to local boxers.
Defamation was also factored in to justify the huge monetary claim.
The board has since countered the lawsuit, justifying why it acted in the way it did and have engaged Ratisai Law Firm as their legal representative.
They argued that Musonda was never registered as an agent and as such did not have the powers to act in that capacity.
They quoted the Boxing Control Regulations No. 199 Section 3, sub-section (1) which prohibits any person to take part in any tournament as a promoter, agent, manager, trainer, referee, judge, time-keeper, master of ceremonies, announcer, ring master or second without the possession of a certificate of registration.
Boxing and wrestling are the only sports governed by an Act of Parliament because of their violent nature.
On the issue of Musonda giving interviews to the media without the consent of the Boxing Commission, they cited Section 8 (1) paragraph G (1V) which stipulates that even posters first have to be cleared by the board before display.
“Mr Musonda has fallen foul with the law twice before, one each with the previous two boxing control boards over these matters, both of whom had to cancel his promoter’s licence.
“The current incident under the current board is the third one so there is a history to the man’s character and propensity to break the law,” the board argued.
Online Reporter