Anisha bags ABU belt

Blossoming female boxer Anisha Bashir has been crowned Africa Boxing Union (ABU) super lightweight champion after flooring Kenyan Consolota Musanga in Nairobi on Saturday evening.

The odds appeared stacked against the Malawian boxer prior to the fight, but she defied the odds to win on technical knockout (TKO) with a round to spare in the 10-round contest according to www.the-star.co.ke.

Following the victory, Anisha has now risen a step further and can challenge for the World Boxing Council (WBC) silver belt.

The 20-year old, who fights under No Pain No Gain Boxing Promotions, becomes the second female boxer, after Agnes Mtimaukanena-Mwando, to win an internationally recognised belt.

According to reports from the East African nation, Anisha—who has won seven of her 12 bouts—fought with zeal and style before handing Musanga her second career loss.

Speaking in an interview from Nairobi on Saturday evening, the boxer could not hide her excitement.

“This is the greatest day of my career.  I worked hard to prepare for this fight and I am pleased to have reaped the reward,” said Anisha.

She said she is now looking forward to participating in more international title fights.

Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Francis Kasaila yesterday hailed Anisha for her feat.

“This is good news and she deserves our congratulations. Let her know that we are proud of her exploits as a nation. We need to nurture this talent.

“As a ministry, we will continue working with the professional boxing associations to develop this sector of sports,” he said.

Anisha’s promoter Craig Rousseau said he is pleased with her performance,  pledging to secure more high-profile matches for her.

“She gave her all. This victory is good for Malawi as it will raise the country’s boxing profile. Secondly, her world ranking will improve, a development that will help us to secure big fights,” he said.

Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board (MPBCB) president Lonzoe Zimba said: “As a board, that is what we have been looking forward to—that our boxers should rise to the occasion and win international title bouts.

“We are hoping that Anisha’s success will inspire other aspiring boxers to come on board and take up the sport as their career.

“Anisha worked so hard to achieve this and she deserves it and that should be the spirit,” he said.

It was a good day for Malawian boxers in Nairobi as Israel Kam’mwamba also won his fight defeating his Kenyan opponent Anderson Sifuna in a non-title fight. n