‘Regional fights ideal’
Matchmaker Steve ‘Mawenzi’ Msiska has called on local boxers to take regional fights seriously to boost their chances of earning title fights for recognised belts.
Msiska made the remarks after Malawian fighter Felix Mwamaso suffered a third knockout to a Tanzanian boxer during an East and Central African title fight on Wednesday last week.
Msiska said regional contests help boxers to earn recognition from well-known promoters who then broker title fight deals.
He then challenged boxers to win such bouts to enhance their chances of earning title fights for top belts under big organisations such as World Boxing Council, African Boxing Union and World Boxing Organisation.
Msiska cited Israel ‘Money Machine’ Kam’mwamba, who earned a Commonwealth title fight after impressing in an East and Central Africa title bout.
“Kam’mwamba’s manager [Craig Rousseau] managed to secure a Commonwealth title fight because his boxer put up a good performance during a regional title contest. Time is ripe for our boxers to use regional belts to find their way to the top,” he said.
Msiska also asked boxers to aim at safeguarding their records to remain marketable.
“Above all, boxers should also work hard to have a positive record so as to attract offers from different promoters across the world,” he said.
Renowned boxer, Wilson Masamba, said sometimes local boxers fail to impress during international fights due to inadequate preparation.
“Sometimes we pick fights at the eleventh hour when we did not prepare well and this affects one’s performance. Lack of exposure also affects our form,” Masamba said.
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