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FOUR pugilists Ntando Sibanda, Meluleki Ngulube, Martin Tshuma and Lovewell Maphosa from the Big Fish Boxing Stable are scheduled to trade leather in Namibia on May 17.Lack of activity in the local professional boxing scene has forced many boxers in the country to seek fights in Zambia and Namibia.
One of the four boxers travelling to Namibia, Sibanda, is based in South Africa and will fight in the flyweight division. He is expected in the country this weekend enroute to Windhoek.
Sibanda has been training at Bronx Gym in Hillbrow, Johannesburg with World Boxing Federation All Africa heavyweight champion, Elvis Victor Moyo who is a Zimbabwean pugilist based in South Africa.
Former Zimbabwe National Youth Games champion Ngulube who trains at Makokoba’s Tshaka Youth Centre will also battle it out in the flyweight division with Tshuma competing in a welterweight bout while Maphosa is set to fight in a bantamweight match.
Former Zimbabwe International light and middleweight boxing champion Mordecai “Big Fish” Donga expects his boxers to do well and he said they will travel with veteran trainer Philip “Striker” Ndlovu.
The ex-Mabutweni great, Donga, said they were waiting for the national boxing board to clear the pugilists.
“We are just waiting for the board to clear the players having submitted all the relevant documents last week. The guys are raring to go and this trip to Namibia is only the beginning for local pugilists as we seek to get them more fights.
“We will also be staging local fights as Big Fish Boxing Promotions with our first tournament to mark our presence in the local scene set for the last Saturday of June. Initially we had planned to have a bill this month but we realised we need to mobilise more resources so we will have a fundraising dinner instead of a fight,” said Donga.
The Big Fish Boxing Promotions stable aimed at supporting local boxers and ensuring that the stable brings international pugilists to the country, was launched in March and is made up of Donga, banker Collen Mugodzva and Jermaine Chapfiwa.
Online Reporter