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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
PATRICK Mkondiwa is an integral name in Zimbabwe’s boxing discourse.
Yet, he has never been a pugilist himself.
But he has become a decorated referee in the world having only taken a mere announcement at an actors’ meeting back in 1996 seriously when he was still a television actor.
And he is regarded as one of the best combat referees in the world at the moment.
The former administrator is also a judge and a World Boxing Federation commissioner.
He was a top actor in several screen plays including “Gringo Series” where he played the role of “Chenge” the gold dealer and “Taka” on “Ndabvezera”, among other drama series.
“My journey started in 1996 when it was announced at our weekly actors meeting called screen talent by the late Makomborero Muza that boxing was looking for aspiring referees and judges,” said Mkondiwa.
“I quickly acted and my name was one of those forwarded to Richard Hondo (boxing board secretary-general then) and we started our lectures with the late Joel Biggie Matiza bankrolling our graduation at the end of 1996.”
Mkondiwa didn’t jump into refereeing straight from “college” though.
He would be co-opted into the board and served as the secretary-general for more than a decade before he decided to venture into ring officiating about eight years ago.
He has since built a strong reputation and he is currently one of the most-sought-after officials in the world across all boxing bodies.
The four-time Annual National Sports Awards winner shot to prominence after handling a nervy International Boxing Federation (IBF) elimination bout between German Sandra Almeida and Esther Phiri in South Africa and he would also be retained to handle a unification title for IBF GBU between the same fighters.
Only last year, the soft-spoken referee officiated a WBF world title fight in Botswana.
He said passion, more than anything else, drives him to aim for higher achievements.
“The first thing that anyone aspiring for a role in any sport should have is an innate desire and interest in that particular sport.
“You can’t take a role in any sport that you half-like. The territory will be heavy for your liking so the first thing to do is to develop an interest in the sport,” he said.
“When I am in the ring, it is the hunger to do well that drives me. I like to be in the ring more than judging, remember I also work as a WBF commissioner in the country and commissioner for our local tournaments as well. I have some great memories in boxing like handling female world titles for Zambian Esther Phiri against Sandra Almeida and also a WBF world title I handled last year in Botswana, it was great. I have won four ANSA awards and that achievement will always inspire me to want to do more. I have also met great guys. The one I don’t forget was a one on one with the late President of Ghana Jerry Rawlings.”
Online Reporter