The fight, initially scheduled for January 25, was postponed after Nadia Hokmi of France pulled out of her proposed WBC title fight against Zambia’s Catherine Phiri. Manyuchi and Phiri’s world title fights had been sanctioned by the WBC to be held on the same day and at the same venue.
Phiri has now been match-made to fight German’s Pia Mazelanix for the same title. The Zimbabwe-born Manyuchi, who now fights in Zambia under Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions, was recently in Harare with his manager, Christopher Malunga to promote the fight.
The WBC International title fell vacant after the then champion Shane Mosley relinquished the belt in favour of a different weight division. Malunga said the 51st World Boxing Council Convention voted unanimously to have Manyuchi fight Kalote for the vacant title.
This was after the Zambian boxing promotional company declared Manyuchi’s challenge for the vacant championship and received the support of such countries as South Africa, Ghana, Tunisia and Zambia itself.
The WBC International welterweight title is the third in the pecking order of titles under the welterweight division within the World Boxing Council.
Should Manyuchi win it, he will only be one title away from challenging for the top title in the WBC, which is held by Floyd Mayweather of the USA. Mayweather is considered on of the highest-paid athletes in the world today.
Manyuchi has transformed himself into Zimbabwe’s new boxing hero, after he won the Africa Boxing Union welterweight title against Burkina Faso’s Patrice Toke in June last year, before he successfully defended it against Ghana’s Isaac Sowe in September of the same year.
Although Kalote had a very impressive record, Malunga still expressed confidence that Manyuchi would come out victorious, adding that their aim was to see Manyuchi eventually challenge Mayweather.
Manyuchi is the fourth Zimbabwean boxer after Proud Kilimanjaro Chinembiri, Stic McLoud and the legendary Langton Schoolboy Tinago to win the Africa Boxing Union title. Tinago, who won three Commonwealth titles at three different weight divisions, is widely considered the greatest ever boxer to come out of Zimbabwe.
Post published in: Sport