Chilemba cancels boxing bonanza

South Africa-based Malawian boxer Isaac ‘Golden Boy’ Chilemba has cancelled the boxing bonanza initially scheduled for this Saturday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

In an interview from Johannesburg yesterday, the former world champion attributed the cancellation to logistical challenges.

He said: “I am very disappointed that things couldn’t work and I apologise to all the boxers  and others that were helping me for wasting their time.

“I have faced a lot of hitches in my efforts to organise the event. First, the sponsor I secured there at home, pulled out just when it was looking all good.

“Then I secured another sponsor from the US, but we have had problems with one of the Malawian commercial banks  regarding money transfer as there were a number of conditions we were asked to meet, including waiting for 21 days for the money to be transferred.”

The 36-year-old boxer said to make matters worse, his doctor has advised him to undergo an urgent surgery on his injured ribs, which forced him to pull out of his scheduled light heavyweight world title fight against undefeated Nigerian Mathew ‘Wiseman’ Obinna.

However, he has committed to compensate the boxers with 10 percent of the fee they were each supposed to get.

Chilemba had lined up eight fights, including two international title bouts in which South Africa-based Dennis Mwale was scheduled to face Tanzanian MwinyiMzengela in a Universal Boxing Council (UBC) international welterweight bout.

Female boxer AnishaBasheel was due to take on Zimbabwean ChiezaHomakoma in an African Boxing Union (ABU) international lightweight bout.

Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board president Lonzoe ‘Defector’ Zimba asked for more time before he could comment.