adminmedal in the welterweight division held in Gaborone, Botswana.
Mufayi lost to Jean Jevette of Seychelles on points in the semi-finals of the championships. Mufayi was the only Zimbabwean boxer who managed to win a medal and he also qualified for the African Championships to be held in Cameroon in July. Zimbabwe sent five boxers but two of them, Foster Masiyambumbi and Timothy Murinye, were barred from competing while Steven Masiyambumbi and Future Mavhiya lost in the quarterfinals.
Zimbabwe Amateur Boxing Association technical director Petros Masiyambumbi, who accompanied the fighters, said the competition was an eye opener for the local fighters.
“The competition was good for us, it was an eye opener as we are preparing for the All-Africa Games.
“This was an opportunity for us to assess our preparations.
“We have always said that we need such competition when preparing for continental events so that we judge our fighters according to their performance.
“It gives us the opportunity to see how we can adjust when we go for the All-Africa Games,” said Masiyambumbi.
Masiyambumbi said most of the fighters that competed in the Zone VI are part of the team that is expected to represent the nation at the All-Africa Games to be held in Mozambique in September.
“It’s now an easy task to prepare these guys for the All-Africa Games after competing in this event. Most of them are part of the team that will be going for the Games.”
The team is expected to arrive in Harare tomorrow.
“We had a few boxers in the Zone VI. If we had come with a full contingent we could have won in the heavyweight and the super heavyweight category because the level of competition was very low in those divisions,” said Masiyambumbi.
Online Reporter