Malawi Defence Force boxer lands WBC silver fight
Malawi Defence Force (MDF) pugilist Ruth Chisale has finally secured a World Boxing Council (WBC) silver lightweight title fight against Firuza Sharipova on May 20 in Kazakhstan.
The development comes six years after Chisale controversially lost a WBC silver elimination fight to Zambian Lolita Muzeya.
Chisale said she is looking forward to the fight to claim her first major belt.
“Memories are still fresh of how I lost controversially in 2017. It was just an elimination fight but my focus was on winning to secure a WBC fight. Now another chance has opened up. I will therefore try my best to win the belt,” she said.
Chisale then thanked MDF for allowing her to train for the bout in Blantyre.
“I am grateful for the support I am getting from my employers. Currently, I am training at Brian Mwando’s gym,” she said.
Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board President Lonzoe ‘Defector’ Zimba confirmed the fight, describing it as a rare chance.
“It is difficult to secure a WBC fight because several factors, including the number of fights and wins, are considered. This shows that Ruth is rated highly. Anyway, we could not release information as we were dealing with MDF, so we did not want to jump the gun,” Zimba said.
He said they nearly stopped Chisale from taking part in last month’s Knockout Suicide boxing bill which Kuhes Sports Complex had organized to stop her from risking her chances for the global stage.
“It was after her camp analysed everything, including her opponent, that this fight was finally picked,” Zimba said.
According to boxrec.com, Chisale, 25, has 12 wins including seven knockouts and two defeats whereas 28-year-old Sharipova has 15 wins and two defeats.
