adminTadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) super bantam-weight interim champion Kuda “Take Money” Chiwandire will get to know her opponent for the main belt tonight when holder Yamileth Mercado faces-off against Mexican compatriot Mariana Juarez in Chihuahua.
Chiwandire successfully defended her stripes when she outfoxed her challenger Zulina Munoz also of Mexico via a Unanimous Decision at the Harare International Conference Centre a fortnight ago.
The victory qualified her to be the mandatory challenger for the main crown which is in the custody of Mercado at the moment.
The Mexican defends the title against Juarez tonight with the winner of the duel scheduled to box Chiwandire around March next year at a venue yet to be determined.
The Mexican city of Chihuahua is expected to be on fire tonight and Zimbabweans in general, Chiwandire in particular, will follow the bout with keen interest given the significance it carries on the 27-year-old’s prospects.
Chiwandire has rewritten history after becoming the first boxer from Zimbabwe to win the WBC interim belt. She is keen to go a notch up.
“Obviously, I will be keen to see who wins the match so that I will prepare accordingly. I am sure both Juarez and Mercado are good fighters,” said Chiwandire.
“I will have to pay attention to see who wins and how they also win. I am currently resting but I will be going back into the gym soon.
“I am already in the preparatory mood for that WBC gold match. It will be a dream for me to be in that fight and winning it will be extraordinary.
“So, I will have to look at how the fight goes and obviously pick one or two things so that I can get into battle with a bit of background knowledge about whoever would have won.”
Meanwhile, another star boxer Hassan “Starboy” Milanzi is tonight scheduled for a unified WBO/WBA Africa super-bantamweight showdown against Namibia’s Mateus Heita at the Ramatex in Windhoek, tonight.
Milanzi’s fight is one of the supporting bouts to the main fight which pits Filipus Nghitumbwa of Namibia and South Africa’s Sabelo Ngebinyange, who are fighting for the WBO global belt. The other title fights on the same bill feature Paulinus Ndjolomus and Ghanaian Delali Miledzi, who are wrestling for the WBO Africa stripe in the middleweight category, while Charles Shinima and Tiwo Olowu of Nigeria battle it out in the WBO Africa welterweight.
There was some disturbing news from Namibia yesterday though after Milanzi’s opponent weighed 500g more than the stipulated mass.
The organizers, according to Milanzi who is in Namibia together with his coach Ali “Otto” Phiri and match-maker Clyde Musonda, tried to manipulate the scale but the alert Zimbabwean trio realised it.
Heita had to work out and eventually managed to shed off the extra mass.
Milanzi knows he will have to be at his best if he is to win the fight against an opponent who has won all of his eight professional fights.
The Zimbabwean, whose record stands at 11-2-1, expressed confidence he will come out tops tonight.
“I am 125 percent ready for my opponent and I am pretty sure that I am winning the fight and taking the belts home.
“My opponent was 500g overweight. They tried to cheat and then I saw them before they were given the mandatory two-hours to shed the weight,” said Milanzi.
“But I am ready for anything. If they bring fire, I am also fire and I will beat them.
“We will dazzle and outdo them in the ring to make sure the belt heads to Zimbabwe. I am convinced I will be victorious tomorrow. (today)”.
Online Reporter