Zambians cry foul

ZAMBIA’S Exodus Boxing Academy executive director and coach Anthony “The Preacher man” Mwamba says despite the reservations his camp has for the calibre of Zimbabwe’s boxing officials, he is not going to stop fulfilling the obligations of a partnership that his stable has with the Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy.

Zimbabwean boxing judges who were at Prince Edward School last Saturday were caught in the eye of a storm following what Mwamba and the crowd believed was a biased awarding of a win to the hosts’ Zvikomborero Danzwa in an international friendly bout against Alice Mbewe of Zambia.

The two fought over six rounds in the bantamweight division, and theirs was one of the five matches that featured Zimbabweans against opponents from the northern country.

It was after the announcement of the verdict that all hell broke loose, with the crowds booing and the judges’ panel having to adjourn midway through the tournament to hold a meeting that lasted half an hour to try and make a decision. They, however, came out of the meeting with the vote that the result would stand.

This is a unique development as bouts are never decided behind closed doors, but inside the ring, and this is done immediately after the judges have collated their score cards. It is a process that does not exceed two minutes.

An emotional Mwamba said afterwards that it was imperative that judged exhibit fairness.

“I urge the referees and judges in Zimbabwe to be fair because we are in the same region. “