Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda-Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOUR years ago, Beaven Sibanda had no home. He barely had enough to eat.
He was just another hungry dreamer who had crossed into South Africa with a battered kit bag and a vision, one that seemed impossibly distant each night he laid his head on the cold floor of a Johannesburg gym.
He survived on sadza and chicken feet.
“I can’t believe there was a time I had nowhere to sleep,” Sibanda says, eyes wide open with both disbelief and pride.
“Things only started getting better when I turned professional and moved in with my coach.”
Fast forward to July 5, 2025. Sibanda steps into the ring at Emperor’s Palace, the crowd buzzing. Across from him is Filipino boxer Richard Garde.
Five rounds later, it is over, Sibanda is crowned the new International Boxing Federation (IBF) Minimumweight champion.
The 23-year-old had done it.
Fighting under South Africa’s Golden Gloves Promotions, Sibanda had clawed his way to international glory.
He flew back into Harare on Monday, IBF belt in hand. On Tuesday, he got a hero’s welcome; more than just applause.
Businessman Wicknell Chivayo pledged a brand-new Mercedes Benz C-Class and $10 000 in cash. Property developers Leengate promised him a gift in recognition of his achievement.
But no amount of prize money or fanfare can erase the struggle that shaped him. His is a story of hardship, resilience and relentless self-belief. Born and raised in Mbare, Sibanda was a tough kid who had to fight for everything, quite literally.
“Growing up in Mbare, we played street soccer like all the boys. I tried rugby too, but I was too small,” he says.
At just 47kg, even the boxing world had doubts.
Zimbabwe had very few fighters in his weight division and he struggled to find opponents locally. But fate intervened in the form of Alexander Kwangwari, an amateur coach who was training boxers near Harare’s Kopje area.
“I was doing karate back then when I saw coach Kwangwari working with some boxers,” Sibanda recalls. “I asked if I could hit the pads. I knew if he saw me move, he’d see the potential.”
He was right. That moment marked the start of his boxing journey.
“It was just meant to be. It was God’s plan, you know,” he said.
Sibanda’s early boxing years were shaped by Kwangwari and later, the respected coach Ali Phiri. He also trained briefly at the Charles Manyuchi Academy, where he honed his craft before heading to South Africa in 2021 in search of real fights and real growth.
“There was no one in my weight category in Zimbabwe,” he explains. “I’m too small. But I knew in South Africa, there were more fighters like me. That’s when I started dominating.”
The move was not easy.
Without a stable income or accommodation, Sibanda was forced to crash in gyms. He trained on an empty stomach. He slept beside punching bags. He fought doubt every day.
But slowly, things changed. He earned his pro licence. He began climbing the ranks.
And when global boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather visited Harare in 2023 at the invitation of Mabvuku-Tafara legislator Pedzai “Scott” Sakupwanya, Sibanda was among the local talent invited to spar in front of “Money” himself.
“That moment changed everything. Seeing Mayweather in person lit something in me,” Sibanda says. “From that day, I told myself I’d become a champion.”
He has kept that promise.
“I’d like to thank God. Winning titles isn’t easy,” he says. “God put me in the right place, and I fought for it. Coming back home on Monday was emotional. The support from Zimbabweans means so much.”
He credits his Golden Gloves promoters, coaches and sponsors for helping guide his steps. But another key figure in Sibanda’s journey is Charles Manyuchi, the former WBC Silver welterweight champion.
“Manyuchi showed us it was possible. He put Zimbabwe on the map,” Sibanda says.
“We’ve followed in his footsteps, trying to reach his level. I want to thank him for what he did, and I hope I can also reach the very top.”
Sibanda suffered his first professional defeat in December last year, losing to Siyakolwa Kuse of South Africa in a WBC Silver title fight.
“It wasn’t my time then,” he admitted. “But then came the IBF, and I promise you, more titles are coming.”
