Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira , Sports Reporter
TOP Zimbabwean female boxer Monica Mkandla is set to trade leather with South African Mellisa Miller in an African Boxing Union (ABU) 10-round Bantamweightweight title fight set for Voda World, Midrand, South Africa on September 30.
“Honey Bee,” as Miller is affectionately known, will put her African Boxing Union title on the line against Mkandla in a fight that is part of the Fantastic 2 Boxing Promotions showpiece.
The event will be headlined by the World Boxing Council international bout between BSA’s recently crowned fighter of the year Smangele “Smash” Hadebe and Mexican Melissa “Leona” Meraz.
Mkandla’s last fight was in July when she defeated fellow Zimbabwean Pamela Mutanga in a non-title junior featherweight bout.
The victory saw Mkandla register her fifth career win to maintain a clean record. Mkandla proved too strong for Mutanga in a non-title junior featherweight bout. She won the six-round contest by a unanimous points decision after all three judges gave her their nod. The three judges’ scores were 60-54, 58-56 and 59-55 as the rising Mkandla produced yet another masterclass which saw her land more punches with weight than her opponent on the night.
Mkandla, who goes by the moniker “Savage” will now have her eyes on Miller.
Matabeleland South Province Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (ZNBWCB) provincial coordinator Maculwamahle Nkomo is confident Mkandla will raise the country’s flag high.
“So it’s Monica’s sixth fight and her first title fight. We are optimistic about it. We feel it’s our first belt as Matabeleland South. We are all going to be glued to the screens and tour local sports bars people will be watching live,” said Nkomo.
Nkomo says boxing is on the rise in Matabeleland South.
“Basically Matabeleland South boxers have done so well with Farai Makombe now based in Harare having an impressive record of three wins and two being KOs. He’s really an upcoming international champion, he’s taking his fourth fight on October 28.
“Pritchard Dube as well in South Africa will be taking his second fight with Lukholo Ndlangalavu in Pretoria on October 1. It was a draw in the first fight and it’s his moment to prove himself. We also have great professional boxers such as Lloyd Mujibulikwa and Wezi Chirwa. We have put effort into taking boxing to rural areas as well.
“We have promising female boxers from Matabeleland South with special mention to Sithandweyinkosi Moyo who was selected to represent Zimbabwe in Malawi last year. There is so much talent and we want to see them following in Monica’s footsteps with the assistance of corporates and the mining community. The challenge now is lack of promoters and sponsorship in our province and region as a whole to get boxing running frequently which is what our athletes need,” said Nkomo.
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