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BULAWAYO Metropolitan Province medal hopeful at the August Zimbabwe National Youth Games set for Masvingo, Cecil Toto registered his fourth victory of the year after beating Sydney Baloyi of the Zimbabwe National Army at a city hotel on Saturday.The Lobengula Boxing Club light welterweight pugilist is tipped to lead Team Bulawayo’s boxing team in Masvingo.
After watching Toto standing up to the ZNA boxer, the Bulawayo Amateur Boxing Association vice chairman Ezwell Ndlovu believes that they are on the right track in as far as their preparations for the August Zimbabwe National Youth Games are concerned.
He said Saturday’s boxing bill which had 11 bouts, was a success.
“We are happy with the way our boxers are developing and they are showing zeal to be in the provincial team and I can tell you that most of the boxers that think they will have an easy walk into the team for the National Youth Games have to raise their game. We had 11 bouts which were all good but there were two exceptional fights which were tightly contested. Toto and Baloyi went to the wire with the other being a bantamweight female bout between Thenjiwe Foloma and Queneth Dube,” Ndlovu said.
Just like Toto, Foloma beat Dube on points in a ferociously contested game which could have gone either way.
There were two knockouts with the first being a light flyweight fight in which Martin Dlodlo won after flooring his Percy Boxing Club mate Stephen Ndlovu with the other also involving Percy pugilists Catherine Betera who beat Nyasha Gomwe in a light welterweight bout.
Matabeleland South’s boxing hub Gwanda failed to raise funds to make it for the open tournament with Ndlovu saying they are planning on having two more fights before finalising their team.
“Last year Bulawayo won gold medals at the Zimbabwe National Youth Games and we want to repeat that feat again. We will have two or three bouts before deciding on the squad. It is our hope that we will be able to get some out of Bulawayo boxers coming so that our boxers get all the competition that they need to perfect their art ahead of the Masvingo Games,” Ndlovu said.
Results
Light flyweight: Martin Dlodlo (Percy) knocked out Stephen Ndlovu (Percy)
Flyweight: Emmanuel Katsaru (Nketa) won on points against Hubert Chitera (Lobengula)
Bantamweight: Thenjiwe Foloma (Percy) won on points against Queneth Dube (Percy), Casper Mnkandla (HQ1) won on points against Lovemore Haisoswi (Nkulumane), Godknows Sithole (HQ1) walked over Blessing Ndiraya (Nkulumane)
Lightweight: Denzel Mpofu (Lobengula) won on points against Andile Ncube (Tshaka), Milton Moyo (Lobengula) won on points against Everson Musumbuchi (Nkulumane)
Light welterweight: Catherine Betera knocked out Nyasha Gomwe, Cecil Toto won on points against Sydney Baloyi (ZNA)
Catch weight: Ndanatsei Nyamukondiwa (ZNA) won on points against Mthabisi Ndlovu (HQ1)
derick.khumalo