TAKE MONEY ROPES IN SA PUGILIST

Tadious Manyepo

Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE female boxer Kudakwashe “Take Money” Chiwandire has roped in highly-rated South Africa-based pugilist Tarisai Mutsau to help her out in sparring sessions as she intensifies preparations ahead of her World Boxing Council (WBC) international bout to be staged in Australia in a fortnight.

Chiwandire is challenging for the belt which is being held by Indian holder Urvashi Singh in a fight scheduled for December 15 in Victoria, Australia.

The former WBC bantamweight interim champion was last in the boxing ring in April this year when she went down to Mexican Yamileth Mercado in a WBC gold contest in Chihuahua.

And, after months of reorganisation, Chiwandire is keen to once again capture global imagination with a win over the champion in two weeks’ time.

Without a lot of corporate support, the 27-year-old is training from home as she has no financial resources for camping. But she is not deflated by all that.

She was in a jovial mood as she held an open training routine in the presence of the media in Harare yesterday.

“My hope this time around is for us to travel early, as scheduled, so that we have sufficient time to acclimatise and prepare for this bout,” said Chiwandire.

“The fight is about life and death. That is how important it is to me. Last time we lost to Mexican Yamileth Mercado.

‘We were in the ring barely 12 hours after arriving in that country. I have always said we can’t use that as an excuse as to why we lost but that was not proper.

“We will travel early this time around, I am told, and we have no excuses. I am preparing hard to try and regain my place. We are bringing that belt home.”