Singapore disaster costs Manyuchi

Langton Nyakwenda
IT will be a long, tough road back to glory for Charles Manyuchi as the former WBC Silver welterweight champion slides down the rankings and further from global recognition.

Manyuchi continues to count the losses of his first round defeat at the hands of Qudratillo Abduqaxorov of Uzbekistan in March as he has now fallen to 16th on the WBC ratings. That is 10 places down from the lofty position he occupied before the disaster in Singapore.

The 27-year-old Manyuchi relinquished his WBC Silver welterweight title in dramatic fashion – htting the canvass twice before being knocked out after just 2 minutes 56 seconds at the OCBC Arena on March 25. Manyuchi’s conqueror, Abduqaxorov, has shot to seventh on the WBC rankings and is now a contender for Keith Thurman’s welterweight gold belt.

Manyuchi is at his home in Chivhu where he is coming to terms with the sobering reality that he is no longer a word champion. He desperately needs to mend his record and his handlers, Oriental Quarries of Zambia, are fixing a fight which should happen in Lusaka in July.

Manyuchi reckons this bout will be the beginning of his journey back to the top. “I know some people will call me names, some will say he is finished, some will even say he used juju … it’s all part of life. What I am sure of is I will rise again,” said Manyuchi. “No one understands how I felt about the last boxing fight in Singapore and I am appealing to all my fans not to give up on me. I will do everything to go back where I was, it’s not easy but I have no option but to take the rough way.”

Manyuchi’s hopes rest on the result of the match between Abduqaxorov and Russian champion Dmitry Mikhaylenko whose date is yet to be fixed.

There is a chance of redemption against Abduqaxorov should the man from Uzbekistan beat “The Mechanic” from Russia because of a rematch clause inserted in Manyuchi’s contract prior to the fight in Singapore.

WBC welterweight rankings