BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
Following his retirement from active boxing in 2004, former national boxing champion Clyde Musonda’s dream was to produce world champions through his creation: Delta Force Boxing Academy.
Musonda is delighted to be training current African lightweight champion and Commonwealth champion Malawian female pugilist Aneesha “Massacre” Basheel in his stable.
The turning point for Musonda and his Delta Force Academy was when he decided to join forces with Craig Rousseau’s No Pain No Gain Boxing Promotion from Malawi.
Rousseau is Basheel’s manager.
The 21-year-old Basheel knocked out English boxer Sam Smith in the first round in London in June last year to add to her African title, which she won in December 2017 after beating Consolata Musanga from Kenya.
“We have Aneesha ‘Massacre’ Basheel in our stable, who is the current African lightweight champion and Commonwealth champion. No Pain No Gain manages her and Delta Force trains her in the partnership. I am so happy with Aneesha because since I started training her she never lost any fight,” Musonda told The Sports Hub
“So far she got eight straight wins, all technical knockouts, so am happy to have produced a champion, which is a the desire of all trainers. She has won the Malawi Sports Woman of the Year as well as Sports Person of the Year so I am so proud.”
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He also wants to groom world champions from among the local boxers, which is an important aspect part of the academy’s goals.
“We have big dreams at Delta Force. Our main aim is to produce world champions from Zimbabwe and Africa as you know that we also have other boxers from other African countries we work with.
“I have a few local boxers who are professionals, but I am recruiting young boxers from amateur level who are under training and soon will turn professional. Tinashe ‘Chairman’ Madziwana is our local super-bantamweight champion for many years now and has the potential to become a world champion,” the 45-year-oldtrainer said.
Musonda whose boxing career spanned for close to two decades after beginning in Harare’s Dzivaresekwa surburb around 1986 winning a number of international medals, hailed the partnership with No Pain No Gain Boxing Promotions.
“We are yet to achieve our best as an academy, but I am happy that our five-year-old partnership with No Pain, No Gain is flourishing. We have done a lot, taking boxers to internationals and to title fights from different organisations like WBO, IBF, ABU, WBF, Commonwealth and now we going for the number one green belt, WBC
“WBC has given Basheel a chance to fight for WBC silver against the champion from the UK Chantelle Cameron and it’s a final elimination bout as the winner gets a mandatory challenge to the main WBC gold which is our main targets this year,” he revealed.
He also had his say on the state of boxing as a sport.
“Lots of improvement needs to be done in Zimbabwe boxing as we are facing problems like boxing gyms, equipment and sponsorship. I personally think that there is need to change the constitution as it out of touch with the current rules and regulations. The one being used was originated in the year 1956 and to me it’s not fair as it gives the (sports) minister powers to choose boxing administrators for us. I think it’s better for us the owners of the game to be given the right to choose ourselves,” Musonda said.
