adminAugustine Hwata Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Zimbabwe flyweight boxing champion Zvenyika Arifonso believes that his Mosquito Boxing Stable made a positive contribution to the sport in 2013 by holding an inaugural tournament aimed at children living on the streets.Last week, the former Commonwealth champion Arifonso, who is trying to turn a new leaf in his life, hosted boxing bouts for children who live on the streets, as a way of integrating them into society.
A total of 10 amateur bouts were staged at Mbare’s Stodart Complex with the pugilists trading leather over two rounds of two minutes each.
“Our boxing stable now has street kids under its wings and, recently, we staged a tournament for them where we assessed their progress.
“I started training them at the beginning of the year and it was time to gauge them. During the event, we awarded them certificates of participation and T-shirts.
“Personally, I was happy that the tournament went well and I hope to organise another one in February next year,” said Arifonso.
Arifonso said most of his boxers came from a drop-in centre along Livingstone Avenue in Harare while others were drawn from Mbare.
“After I established the boxing academy, I interacted with street kids who frequent House of Miles and some of them were eager to take up the sport.
“Now we have boxers between the ages of 11-14 years who come for training from eight o’clock each day,” said Zvenyika.
His dream, Zvenyika said, is to produce a world champion from his academy one day. “I think society still has a misconception about the street kids.
Some people are sceptical and believe that the boys will be more violent towards other citizens, but it’s to the contrary.
“Sport teaches the children discipline and keeps them determined to achieve certain goals in life. Right now I have taken two of the children, Watson and Tyson Musevenzo, who stay at my place in Mbare.
“I noticed that these two brothers were eager to learn and they eat what I eat and we stay as a family.
“My challenge is with the other boxers who only come for training and then return to the streets after that. I wish I could get support and put them all under one roof.
“I noticed that life on the streets is tough and the boys have to battle for survival and now I want boxing to give them hope,” said Arifonso.
Online Reporter