adminRicky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Bulawayo Amateur Boxing Association will on Saturday stage its first bill of the year at Manor Hotel.
About 20 bouts have been lined up for what promises to be thunderous evening.
The competition will be used to identify boxers to represent Bulawayo Metropolitan Province at this year’s national competitions.
Baba has called on boxing loving fans to come in their numbers to cheer the pugilists.
Baba vice-chairman Ezwell Ndlovu told Chronicle Sports yesterday that all was set for the tournament.
He said they had invited boxers from Gwanda, Hwange, Gweru and the Zimbabwe National Army School of Sports. “Our last competition was in December we want our boxers to start their preparations for this year’s national tournaments like Zaba Championships and the Zimbabwe National Youth Games with this tournament set for Manor on Saturday. All Bulawayo clubs will be there as well as pugilists from Gwanda, Hwange, ZNA and Gweru who also want to keep their boxers active,” said Ndlovu.
Boxers from Bulawayo’s clubs Nketa, Nkulumane, Tshaka, Lobengula, Luveve’s Percy, HQ One Brigade, Young Arts and Bulawayo West will battle it out in different weight divisions.
Brighton Masiyambumbi of Nketa who represented Zimbabwe at the World Youth Championships in Poland last year, his brothers Samson and Forster are set to be star attractions at the season opener.
Mandla Madzivanyika will lead Nkulumane boxers with Casper Mnkandla being one of the fighters to watch from HQ One Brigade while Lobengula has Eugene Ndlovu heading their team.
Percy Boxing Club will pin their hopes on last year’s Zimbabwe National Youth Games medalists Elizabeth Moyo, Amanda Dube, Thenjiwe Foloma, Brian Ndlovu, Mbongeni Masuku and Stephen Ndlovu with Bulawayo West’s finest boxer being Professor Ndlovu.
“We are ready for the tournament and the boxers have been working very hard. We want to be the stronghold of Bulawayo boxing and this starts with us winning such competitions so that we get the respect we deserve,” said Elias Sibanda, the Percy Boxing Club coach.
Veteran trainer Philip “Striker” Ndlovu of Tshaka is pinning his hopes on Andile Ncube and Ayanda Ncube.
“Andile and Ayanda are the two boxers that have potential to make it in sport. They are taking on the footsteps of Meluleki Ngulube and Ntando Sibanda who have since turned professional. I believe that if they get more fights by mid-year they will be ready to conquer on the big stage,” Ndlovu said.
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