Wilson Masamba, Osgood Kayuni differ on weigh-in
Drama ensued at Chombe Foods Limited head office in Blantyre yesterday when camps for domestic boxing rivals, Wilson ‘Hardhitter’ Masamba and Osgood ‘The Punisher’ Kayuni, disagreed on when to hold an official weigh-in.
It all started when both boxers were about to leave Chombe’s premises after undergoing the weigh-in.
Unofficial weigh-in results showed that Masamba was 61.2 kilogrammes with Kayuni weighing 61.4 kilogrammes.
If the weigh-in results stand, then both boxers have qualified for the junior lightweight category of their eight-round non-title contest tomorrow at Robins Park in Blantyre.
Kayuni, led by his stable’s Zama Boxing Promotions spokesperson, Olesugun Kapanga, were irked after learning that they will undergo another official weigh-in today.
“So what was the use of this weigh-in if we are to undergo another weigh-in session? There is no point holding two weigh-in sessions. It was just meant to disturb our training schedule,” Kapanga said.
Kayuni said he had no problems with the weigh-in, but he would have loved to do it once.
“We are training hard and it is not good to disrupt our programme like this,” he said.
In reaction, Masamba said customary weigh-ins are held a day before a fight.
“So, we need to have another weigh-in on Friday to verify whether we are within the required weight. I don’t want someone to cheat me,” he said.
Masamba’s manager, Craig Rousseau, said they vehemently rejected an idea to hold an official weigh-in two days before the fight.
After discussions with the promoter, Mike Chitenje of Mulanje Last Boxing Promotions, and the sponsor, Chombe, it was agreed that the official weigh-in be held between 6am and 7am today at PMJ Gym in Kanjeza Township, Blantyre.
“I am really grateful to both camps for reaching a compromise,” Chitenje said.
Chombe General Manager, Gresham Thomas, Sales and Marketing Manager, Aubrey James Kapalamula, said they were delighted to be associated with boxing.
“We were supporting the boxers with our products such as rice and tea. We hope they will deliver a good performance on Saturday,” Thomas said.
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