Chris Malunga, who will be Manyuchi’s manager, said the Zimbabwean boxer was scheduled to make his first title defence in the neighbouring country next month. “The African Boxing Union has given Manyuchi less than three months to make his mandatory defence of the title or risk being stripped of the belt,” said Malunga.
Boxing promoter Danboy Chitimbe said losing Manyuchi did not augur well for a sport still suffering from lack of role models, adding that something needed to be done before Zimbabwe lost more top sportsmen to other countries. Chitimbe blamed lack of government support for the continued demise of local sport. He said Manyuchi was fighting to sustain his family’s needs, adding that there was money in the sport in Zambia than here.
Manyuchi last month knocked out Patrice Peko, 30, of Burkina Faso in the fifth round to win the ABU welterweight title and became the fourth-ever Zimbabwean boxer to win an ABU title, after Proud ‘Kilimanjaro’ Chinembiri, Langton ‘Schoolboy’ Tinago and Stix McLoud who won African titles in the 1980s.
Now Manyuchi won the WBC Welterweight International! We are proud of you Manyuchi!