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Home Lifestyle Zimbabwe boxers date Zambians
Lifestyle
March 6, 2014

Zimbabwe boxers date Zambians

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ZIMBABWE pugilists will trade leather against their Zambian counterparts in Harare on 22 March in fights which are meant to test the strength of local boxers in the region. Zambia is using the boxing jamboree in which there will be bouts in all the eleven divisions to prepare for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games which have been slated for July in Glasgow, Scotland.

Zimbabwe will not be taking part in the games which are a preserve of former British colonies since pulling out of the Commonwealth over a decade ago at the height of political tensions between Harare and London over the land reform programme the country undertook at the turn of the millennium.

Zimbabwe Boxing Federation (ZBF) secretary general, Goodwill Sibanda, said the boxing tournament will give a chance to local boxers to test their strength against their counterparts in the region. “I can confirm that the Zambians will be coming into the country for a tournament on March 22 which they will be using to prepare for the Commonwealth Games in July. We are using the same tournament to test the strengths of our boxers against those in the region.

“Boxers will fight in all the 11divisions and I hope this will give our boys a chance to gauge themselves and learn a thing or two from the Zambians,” said the ZBF secretary general formerly known as the Zimbabwe Amateur Boxing Association.

Sibanda confirmed that the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) had adopted the change of the constitution paving way to adopt the new name. The rebranding of the boxing body is in line with resolutions made at the International Boxing Association (AIBA) congress in Switzerland to drop the word “Amateur.” According to AIBA the ZBF is now a wholesome package under one body consisting of AIBA Open Boxing (AOB) for former amateurs and AIBA Professional Boxers (AOB) for professionals.

The two categories, Sibanda said, will now fall under one body. Meanwhile, boxing body will hold its annual general meeting on March 22 after the initial indaba was postponed last month.

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