5 boxers face stern tests

Despite local boxers’ continued struggles on the international scene, Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board has approved five Malawian boxers’ trip to Mauritius.

Heavyweight boxer Limbano Lano will headline the contest against South African Ruann Visser this Saturday at Cote D’Or Country Yard in Port Louis.

The others are Yohane Banda who fights John Colin from Mauritius in super lightweight, Mussa Mkwanda  takes on Lucien Botumbe from DRC in super middleweight, Wongani Kainga faces Adel Motean from Mauritius in super welterweight and Limbani Chikapa faces Kenyan Rayton Okwiri in a middleweight bout.

At least nine of the last 10 international bouts have ended in knockout defeats for Malawian boxers in the past year with only Israel Kam’mwamba winning the International Boxing Federation (IBF) continental lightweight belt. 

But the board, which recently announced that it would be assessing local boxers’ preparedness, said it is satisfied that the boxers are ready.

The board’s director of research and communication Gibson Chisale said they, among others, considered their recent results.

“They each have at least four wins in their last 10 bouts and we further assessed them through sparring sessions they had,” he said.

In an interview,  Lano said the South African’s impressive record does not scare him, saying he will take him “head on”.

He said: “I am supposed to face boxers of that level if I am to make strides and become one of the best in the sport.

“I will carry the country’s flag and that is why I had two fights in preparation for this bout.”

The 34-year-old’s last fight was against compatriot Lewis Nkhata which he won.

Boxing legend Jobson Adams said he is not expecting positive results from the Malawian boxers because there is no clear mechanism to determine local boxers’ preparedness for international bouts.

“Our problem is that we don’t train enough due to limited resources,” he said.

Seasoned boxer Mussa Ajibu has since urged the five boxers to have more sparring sessions before the bouts.

According to Boxrec, Lano has won eight, lost 14 and drawn once while his opponent Visser, who boasts previous training camps .

On the other hand, Banda’s record stands at nine wins, nine losses and a draw while his opponent Collen has won all his six bouts.

Mkwanda has 11 wins, 15 losss and two draws, Kainga has a single win  and four defeats  while Chikapa has won 11and lost 11 as well.