Malawi boxers stutter in Namibia
Four of the country’s top boxers Chimwemwe ‘Rhino’ Chiotcha, Limbani ‘Lion’ Masamba, Charles Misanjo and Chikondi Makawa went down to their Namibian opponents in Windhoek on Saturday.
Chiotcha, the prolific Malawi Defence Force (MDF) boxer, was meant to be the headliner as he challenged Walter ‘Executioner’ Kautondokwa for World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Africa middleweight title, but he lost it.
Masamba, Misanjo and Makawa featured in under-card bouts and they lost to Jatoorora Tjingaveta, Emmanuel Mungandjela and Mendu Kaangundwe, respectively.
Chiotcha went up to 10 rounds against Kautondokwa before retiring due to a lot of behind-the-head punches, according to No Pain No Gain Boxing Promotions chief executive officer Craig Rousseau, who took the boxers to Namibia.
“Chiotcha fought a strong boxer and he went up to the 10th round. He was hit with hard punches on the back of his neck. So, he had to stop to avoid injury, that’s it! [Kautondokwa] landed a very bad low blow on Chiotcha and this guy resorted to being very rough as Chiotcha was taking him on toe-to-toe.”
He added that all the Malawi boxers tried their best, but they were just unfortunate to have lost their bouts.
“Sorry guys; they tried their best for real. We can accept defeats for Makawa and Misanjo, but Masamba was totally robbed of victory on a split decision. [Imagine] a split decision in Namibia,” Rousseau wrote on WhatsApp group Professional Boxers.
Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board (MPBCB) president Lonzoe Zimba said he will be able to comment on the outcome once he obtains a report on the bouts. n
