Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
Zimbabwe’s South Africa-based Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) star, says the pain of losing his heavyweight crown outside the cage will not derail him.
Moyo was stripped of his belt last week after tipping the scales at 121kg, about 800g over the 120.2kg limit. He still honoured his clash with Democratic Republic of Congo fighter Matunga Djikasa, who scored a technical knockout.
The fight was downgraded to a non-title bout, though Djikasa would have taken the championship had he won even if it remained a title fight.
Moyo told Zimpapers on Monday that a sudden illness left him unable to cut the last few grams. “I got approved medication so I’m on a seven-day course of which I will take another seven days to fully recover. Then I will be back in the gym,” he said.
Despite the setback, Moyo has no intention of slowing down. He is already eyeing a November return, possibly in Zimbabwe for a heavyweight boxing bout, before stepping back into mixed martial arts in South Africa in December.
“I genuinely couldn’t cut a few grams because I had been ill and powering through. I could not pull out of the fight and I did not want to pull out of the fight. Yes, the re-match becomes bigger and more mouthwatering because whether I fought or would have not fought the title was gone,” said Moyo, dismissing claims the weight drama was staged to set up a lucrative rematch.
He thanked his sponsors and fans for sticking with him, singling out Zimbabwean company BetterBrands, owned by businessman Scott Sakupwanya. “I’m very grateful to my sponsors and loyal fans. The mission is still the same: recover glory and do Zimbabwe proud,” he said.
With a clear plan to heal, train, and reclaim his crown, Moyo wants to repair both his ego and the nation’s pride when he climbs back into the ring.
