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Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
KUDAKWASHE “Take Money” Chiwandire is scheduled to leave for Mexico on Sunday ahead of her World Council Boxing (WBC) super-bantamweight world title fight against holder Yamileth Mercado in Chihuahua next weekend.
The 27-year-old is fine-tuning her act conducting sparring sessions with different male boxers in the country.
And on Saturday next week, Chiwandire will take to the ring in the biggest bout to have a Zimbabwean female boxer ever as she contests for the global title fight from the world’s best ranked boxing board.
Her opponent is an unassuming puncher who has successfully defended her belt since 2019 and she will be expecting to brush Chiwandire aside as well.
But, the best-ranked Zimbabwean female boxer is talking tough with the former footballer telling the media yesterday she was more than ready to conquer the world thousands of miles away from home.
Her stable, Deltaforce Academy, was still expecting their visas from the Mexican Consulate in Pretoria, South Africa, late yesterday.
But academy director, Clyde Musonda, who is also Chiwandire’s trainer, said all was in place and they would be leaving for Mexico on Sunday to allow themselves at least four days to acclimatise to the Mexican weather.
Chiwandire said she has been in camp for the past five months and she wanted the fight ”even yesterday”.
“Basically, I am ready for this fight. This is the biggest bout that I have ever entered. I am in a right state of mind and my physicality is also up there. I have never left camp since November last year.
“I have studied a lot about my opponent. We have analysed several things in her fight aspects and I should say, we have covered just enough ground for us to come out victorious in this fight,” said Chiwandire.
“The Mexicans are generally good in terms of boxing. They are difficult to fight against but I am ready for the challenge.”
Chiwandire said it was good that she was fighting in a month designed to celebrate women and she will be out to make the country proud.
She talked at length condemning the abuse of drugs by youths in the country as she issued a passionate appeal to her fellow women to desist from indulgence.
“As a girl child, I know I should inspire other girls out there to also want to do well in whatever they do in life. Our country has been affected by the drug abuse scourge and it pains me a lot to see youths, including girls, wasting themselves in this mire.
“I would like to encourage the youths, including girls, to desist from using intoxicating substance,” she said.
“Some will say they are stressed and depressed. They say they want to cure those ailments but drugs can only exacerbate the problems rather than bringing in any solutions. Let’s work hard in whatever we are good at and try to bring the best out of what we can do.
“Several people have strained their relations and others have lost everything they had in life, including their families, due to drug and substance abuse. Drug abuse can also lead to crime and all sorts of social vice which can destabilise society so my advice is for the youths to stay away from that.”
Chiwandire, who by virtue of holding the WBC interim title is effectively the most decorated fighter in this country, will make history as the only Zimbabwean pugilist to contest for the WBC world title.
The mother of three earned the right to challenge for the world title after she successfully defended her interim belt against another Mexican, Zulina Munoz, in Harare late last year.
She had captured the same title after beating Zambia’s Catherine Phiri in February last year.
Online Reporter