Phiri knocks out Tanzanian boxer
World Boxing Federation (WBF) welterweight champion Hannock Phiri knocked out Tanzanian Samwel Mputi in round two of an eight-round non-title bout at Lisburg Leisure Centre in Lilongwe.
It was his comeback bout since losing to Ahmad Ali in Germany in May.
The Tanzanian, who was geared up for the fight, did not live up to expectation as he was on the receiving end from the start.
The first round ended with Mputi in bruises, but he was sent to the canvas a minute into second round.
The Tanzanian did not wake up after the count.
In an interview, the Tanzanian said he did not prepare well for the fight and asked for rematch.
“I want to come back to Malawi and meet Phiri. I am not 100 percent impressed that he has defeated me. I did not prepare well; hence, calling for a rematch,” he said.
On his part, Mputi said he vowed to deal with the Tanzanian to avoid embarrassment following the defeat he suffered in Germany.
“I went into this fight with anger. After losing in Germany, there is no way I could have accepted defeat on home soil. I did not want a repeat of that at home,” he said.
Youth Boxing Promotion managing director Salim Chazama promised to continue offering exciting bouts to boxing fans.
“It was exciting moment, we will continue arranging the bouts and we are working hard approaching more partners to be part of this memorable boxing galas we will be organising,” he said.
Phiri, 26, has done 11 fights since debut in 2018. He has seven wins, three losses and one draw.
Popularly known as ‘Hardknocker’, Phiri beat Zambian Hillary Kataya on a unanimous point’s decision in the 12-round bout at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka in 2019 to claim the WBF title. On the other hand, his Tanzanian opponent has three fights, winning one and losing two.
