adminGilbert Munetsi-Sports Correspondent
THE long wait is finally coming to an end for Kudakwashe “Take Money” Chiwandire as she and her team left Harare yesterday morning for Mexico where she will face multiple champion Yamelith “La Yemi” for the coveted World Boxing Council super-bantamweight title on March 18.
The epic contest takes place in Chihuahua, one of Mexico’s 32 Federal States that shares an extensive border with Texas and is billed as an important commercial route prospering from billions of dollars from international trade as a result of North American Free Trade Agreement.
The journey, though by air, is going to be quite arduous for the contingent — and particularly for the boxer — and could deliberately have been tailored that way to give advantage to the home fighter as has always been the case.
“Take Money” and her entourage left Harare early in the morning yesterday and were by noon, still at the Mexican Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, where they were awaiting the Visa issuance processes.
Today they leave South Africa at around 8pm for Paris from where they will then connect to Mexico City. The journey is 15 481km long and lasts approximately 19 hours.
They will then embark on the final lap North-Westernwards on a 1 459km trip that gets them to Chihuahua, the venue for the fight.
The contingent has Delta Force director and manager to the boxer, Clyde Musonda, coach Tarisai Ponde, marketing manager Eric Kandiwa, anchor sponsor Robson Muromba of RM Plumbing World and two supporters Coleen Mavhundutse and one Brian who are on the trip courtesy of sponsorship from Gypsite Electrical.
“We are now in Pretoria and hope to have finalised the Visa formalities by end of day (yesterday). Yes, there will not be much time for rest but, jet lag aside, we remain optimistic we will achieve our desire and bring the title home.
“We have been fortunate in that the WBC president himself, Mauricio Sulaiman, personally called their ambassador here in South Africa to help quicken the process so if all goes according to plan, we should be in Mexico by Thursday.
“It gives us just a day to settle down and acclimatise and with other programmes surrounding the event such as the weigh-in and face-off and helping market the fight, we have to sketch a preparatory strategy that does not wear the boxer before the contest,” Musonda said in an interview with The Herald from Pretoria yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Harare Boxing Association, an affiliate of the Zimbabwe Boxing Federation, last weekend convened its annual meeting at which a new executive was ushered into office.
It has a four-year mandate that expires at the end of 2027.
While three members were retained into the new executive, it is the inclusion of new chairman, Thomas Kambuyi, and technical director, Issa Phiri, that is expected to help revive fortunes of a province once considered the backbone of amateur boxing in Zimbabwe in the yesteryear.
Other members making up the board are Kingstone Jokonya, who bounced back as secretary-general, and Faith Whata, who is now the vice-chairperson.
Over the years, a plethora of challenges have been bedevilling the association among them death of a member, lack of a quorum and the outbreak, for two years, of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Against such background, Harare had lost its glamour on the domestic championships platform and when it came to selection of boxers to regional, continental and international assignments.
The new chairman, Kambuyi, said his association will hit the ground running, beginning with ensuring Harare hosted a number of tournaments during the course of the year. He was, however, quick to note that there ought to be firm foundation on which programmes will be built.
“Firstly, Harare Province will have an induction workshop for the new board so that every office bearer will be familiar with this terrain.
“Harare will embark on sound developmental coaching courses, referee and judge courses as well as inter-club tournaments.
“We shall also revisit the schools and college boxing development programmes just like we pioneered when we launched our pilot projects at Prince Edward, Churchill, Tafara 1 High, Mbare High and Epworth High. Grassroots boxing is the way to go.
When one notices the calibre and quality of our boxers both at Open boxing and professional leaves a lot to be desired.
Harare used to produce good amateurs in the mould of the Takudzwa Kuchocha, Peter Pambeni and Tawanda Chigwida.
“We really expect this board to be the busiest as I challenged the elected office bearers to go back home and see what value they shall bring to Harare Boxing in-order for us to be numero uno.
“We shall also engage with our SRC Provincial offices to see how best we can work on synergies. We need to see how we can access the development grants in-order to equip these community clubs, provision of recreational facilities and equipment either at municipal level or governmental.
For instance, in Epworth there are no playgrounds or facilities meant for recreation or developmental set aside except one community hall at the Epworth Local board. It’s not accessible to our youths as the council uses it daily. It was supposed to be open all day long for use by the youths as and when they need it,” Kambuyi said.
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