adminRicky Zililo, Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Amateur Boxing Association (Zaba)’s Africa Games final selection competition which had been scheduled for Saturday in Bulawayo has been postponed to pave way for a memorial tournament in honour of Petros Masiyambumbi.
Masiyambumbi, a long serving boxing administrator and coach, passed on in Bulawayo last week aged 56 years after succumbing to kidney failure.
Arvin Mathe, the Bulawayo Amateur Boxing Association (Baba)’s secretary-general, said Zaba advised them that the national team’s Africa Games’ final selection had been postponed to a later date.
Boxers from the country’s 10 provinces had been expected to trade leather for five Africa Games slots at Manor Hotel on May 16.
“The Africa Games final selection competition has been put on hold. Zaba said no tournament will be held before we have a competition to honour Masiyambumbi. Even as Baba we can’t hold our monthly tournaments until we have the one in honour of Masiyambumbi. Zaba will tell us about the dates for the rescheduled Africa Games final selection competition and Masiyambumbi’s tournament which they hope to make an annual event,” said Mathe.
Chances are high that Masiyambumbi memorial tournament will also be used to shortlist boxers for national team.
Mphilisi Moyo, the national team coach, has been monitoring progress of potential national team boxers who will represent the country at the Congo Brazzaville Africa Games.
Because of the few slots given to boxing by the Sport and Recreation Commission, Zaba has resolved to send male pugilists to September’s Africa Games.
“We’ve been monitoring progress of boxers and because of the number required by the SRC, we will be taking only male boxers. To afford ourselves time to adequately prepare, we will select our boxers from the flyweight, welterweight and bantamweight divisions. It is in these three divisions where the country’s prospects for medals are high,” Moyo said.
Welterweight pugilists that caught Moyo’s attention include Hwange’s Future Maziya, Brighton Masiyambumbi of Bulawayo’s Nketa Boxing Club, Midlands duo of Prince Carter and Liberty Muneri.
Trade Nkomozabo of Masvingo who won gold at the Zimbabwe National Youth Games and fights in the flyweight division has a chance to be selected for Team Zimbabwe alongside Lobengula’s Wiseman Tshuma.
Zaba has also been monitoring progress of Brendon Dennis of Mashonaland East as well as Zimbabwe National Army’s Ndodana Moyo and Prosper Shumba. A number of Bulawayo based pugilists expected at the national team selection tournament include Lancelot Moyo, Edson Mapeku, Shadreck Machaya, Godknows Sithole and Samson Masiyambumbi and Assurance Moyo.
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