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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
TWO-time Commonwealth title winner, Zvenyika Arifonso has hailed newly crowned World Boxing Council welterweight international champion, Charles Manyuchi for “his sweet victory’’ in Zambia over the weekend.
Manyuchi beat Ghana’s Patrick Allotey in the eighth round of a 12-round bout in Lusaka on Saturday night to raise the country’s flag high.
Arifonso congratulated Manyuchi and said he hopes the Zimbabwean boxer continues to put the country on the world map.
“What Manyuchi did to win the World boxing title is very good for us as Zimbabwe. It shows there are good boxers in Zimbabwe who can fight in the world. And it opens doors for other boxers who are coming up.
“I hope he is going to compete for another world title, he made us proud,” said Arifonso.
However, the former boxer said a lot still needs to be done to revive the sport in the country so that it reaches its full potential.
Arifonso indicated that although Manyuchi won it is sad that there are no sponsors willing to assist the sport at home which has seen the latter training in Zambia with Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions.
“I think to improve the situation we must have sponsorship because without sponsorship there is nothing we can do. It’s very unfortunate we have our fighters training in other countries.
“The money is there but they don’t want to help, why support soccer only like it is the only sport in Zimbabwe when we have so many fighters who can compete in the world.
“Manyuchi is under another stable in Zambia, they are helping with all what he needs and now he is focusing on fighting only, that’s his job. Here we can’t do that. If you go to Zambia asking for Manyuchi he is always training.
“We have Elvis Moyo in South Africa because as a country we cannot support our own, our fathers don’t want to do it for their children. Boxers are there but there is no sponsorship. What is needed is sponsorship and when you go out there looking for sponsorship it seems as if you are insulting those people, they don’t want anything to do with the sport,” said Arifonso.
Manyuchi becomes the first Zimbabwean to win a world title to surpass achievements by former boxers such as Arifonso, Langton ‘’Schoolboy’ Tinago who is a three-time Commonwealth title holder and the late Proud ‘Kilimanjaro’ Chinembiri who won the Africa Boxing Union All Africa heavyweight title during his career.
Online Reporter