MPBCB wants afternoon bouts
Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board (MPBCB) has urged boxing promoters to consider organising bouts in the afternoon if they are to attract more fans and maximise profits.
According to MPBCB spokesperson Frank Chibisa, most local boxing fans cannot afford to watch evening bouts as is the case in other countries because they use public transport which is mostly scarce and exorbitantly expensive at night.
Chibisa’s remarks follow low patronage at recent local and international bouts at Robin’s Park in Blantyre where fights ended between 10pm and 3am.
At least seven boxing events have been conducted at the venue for the past five months but low patronage has been the major setback.
“As witnessed at recent evening bouts, it is now a fact that most local boxing fans cannot afford to watch bouts at night,” said Chibisa.
“Boxing is one of the most popular sport disciplines in the country, but the issue of having bouts at night has proved to be hard for many boxing fans because only few of them own vehicles to ferry them home after bouts.”
No Pain No Gain Boxing Promotions chief executive officer Craig Rousseau, whose body collaborated with Zimbabwe’s Delta Force Boxing Academy to arrange 10 fights, including a title match between eventual victor Limbani Masamba and Enerst Msoliza, said they will think over the idea.
“However, I feel things would be much easier if the corporate world comes in their large numbers to support boxing. It is hard to double as both promoter and sponsor.
“You can still make losses at afternoon bouts if sponsors do not take boxing as a tool for promoting their products,” he said.
