Former World Boxing Council silver welterweight champion Charles Manyuchi is pushing to stage the forthcoming rematch between himself and Qudratillo Abduqaxorov in Harare. It would be the first high-profile boxing contest to be staged in Zimbabwe. Manyuchi lost the WBC silver welterweight title to Uzbekistan’s Abduqaxorov last March, after a shock first round knockout.
By KweséESPN
Manyuchi is now in line to take another crack at the title sometime in June or July, and his manager Christopher Malunga, of Oriental Boxing Promotions, is hoping to go a step further and stage the contest in Harare.
Malunga told KweséESPN from his base in Lusaka, Zambia: “We have written to the WBC to request that we are interested in promoting [the rematch] in Harare. It will be a very big fight, and it’s a very big challenge.
“WBC haven’t yet responded but the good part is that the manager for Abduqaxorov is willing to fight in Harare. That’s the good part. He is a very good manager, very humble and down to earth and we are hopeful that we should be able to reach an agreement for us to put up a fight in Harare.”
In line with this development, Malunga said a warm-up fight had been arranged for Manyuchi against Tanzanian boxer Karage Suba. The bout is set to take place at the end of April in Zambia.
Manyuchi confirmed he would be going into camp in Zambia next week to begin preparations for the contest against Suba, telling KweséESPN: “I think there is enough time for me to be fully fit in time for this fight because as a boxer you are always training.
“At the moment, I can say I am about 50% fit but after just a few days in camp I would have adjusted.”
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The Masvingo-born boxer added that he has not been watching any of the Uzbek’s recent fights.
“I don’t even want to watch … I am just waiting for him,” the Zimbabwean insisted. “Let’s see what they have in store for us.
“Boxing is such that you can study the previous fight but they can change their tactics. As a boxer, you have to adjust when you are already in the ring.”
