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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
BOXING champions Kudakwashe “Take Money” Chiwandire has received a huge boost ahead of her World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantam-weight title challenge after her stable, Delta Force Academy, secured an anchor sponsor.
The 27-year-old female pugilist is expected to square off with Mexican holder Yamileth Mercado in Chihuahua, Mexico on March 18.
This is the biggest fight involving a Zimbabwean boxer in the history of this sport.
And Chiwandire’s bid to succeed in this bout has been boosted with the coming in of a local company RM Plumbing, who will be the anchor sponsor for the boxer and the rest of the pugilists under Delta Force Academy.
The boxers from this stable will, in addition to getting financial and material support from RM Plumbing, also get an opportunity to be employed by the same company when they are not partaking in any boxing activities.
Chiwandire could become the first beneficiary of the latter should she consider signing for employment after her fight in Mexico.
Currently, she is self-employed as a hairdresser.
Speaking at a press conference to officially unveil the partnership yesterday, RM Plumbing chief executive officer Robson Muromba said the partnership was meant to add value to the lives of boxers.
“As RM Plumbing, we are very proud to partner Delta Force Boxing & MMA Academy going forward in our joint bid to transform the country’s sporting landscape by offering better opportunities for excelling sports institutions and most importantly the valued sportsmen and women.
“Our corporate philosophy is to put our best foot forward in whatever we involve ourselves in and to build lasting solutions that go beyond the foreseeable future. Our partnership with Delta Force Boxing & MMA Academy will not only ensure that athletes are fully equipped for the fight they are currently facing but also prepare them and equip them for life after their sport careers,” said Muromba.
“So, towards that end we will be offering conducive employment opportunities for Delta Force boxers such that they can balance out their professional boxing careers with gainful employment, life skill development and entrepreneurship opportunities.
“Furthermore, we will be partnering Deltaforce Boxing & MMA Academy in a multitude of projects that go beyond the ring, in multiple fields of business as we diversify to capitalise on the opportunities that exist in our great nation and around the continent.
“We are committed to excellence and we guarantee that our involvement will bring value to the sports fraternity. Coming to this WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship Campaign, we would like to say to Kudakwashe, reach for the stars, we’ve got your back.
“We also take this opportunity to invite other corporate sponsors to come on board to partner and assist. Support doesn’t have to be monetary only but the availing of simple opportunities will take us far.”
Delta Force Academy director Clyde Musonda, who is also doubling as Chiwandire’s coach, said the partnership will help Chiwandire get into the right frame of mind ahead of her bumper bout against Mercado.
“With this support and partnership we’ll surely reach for the stars. This partnership is a significant milestone in not only the advancement and development of the academy but of the boxing sector as a whole.
“Our long term dream is for the complete development of our athletes to achieve world class contender statuses but also world class citizens, in and outside the ring,” said Musonda.
“This partnership comes at a very opportune time when we as a nation are battling against the scourge of drug abuse and addiction.
“The majority of our youths find themselves idle and unemployed so they end up tempted by the vice and abuse of drugs. This is then leading to the destruction of potentially talented individuals who could otherwise be valuable and contributing members of society.
“As Delta Force Boxing & MMA Academy and RM Plumbing World, we have identified key areas through which we can use sports and create employment opportunities for our youth, starting with our boxers, in this fight against drug abuse and other vices.
“We believe that in playing this small role we may have a larger long-lasting societal impact as we strive to build model citizens and societies.
“This partnership initiative is designed to afford our athletes opportunities to grow outside the ring such that when they hit the twilight of their careers they will have tangible life skills and other sustainable revenue streams through which they can sustain themselves and their families.”
The Delta Force Academy also announced the return of their monthly “Pound for Pound” series which will see local and international boxers battling it out for supremacy in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile Chiwandire also stands to benefit much more than her estimated purse money of around US$20 000 after Zororo-Phumulani which is supported by Doves Zimbabwe pledged a winning bonus of more than US$3 000 for the pugilist should she pull through in her upcoming fight.
The South Africa-based Zimbabwe-owned funeral services concern have always helped Chiwandire after chipping in with flight tickets for her previous fights and providing logistical support on her previous fight preparations.
Zororo Phumulani marketing officer Tendai Mangoti told The Herald his company has set aside a winning bonus for Chiwandire.
“We have always supported Chiwandire in her boxing journey. We are the ones who provided flight tickets when she went to Zambia where she beat Catherine Phiri to win the WBC interim belt early last year.
“We also gave her a winning bonus of US$2000 when she managed to defend her belt against another Mexican Zulina Munoz in October last year.
“So we will be there to help her hoist our country’s flag high.”
Online Reporter