My open letter to boxing authorities
Please allow me space in your paper to express my views on the issues I feel are killing the game of boxing in Malawi.
Firstly, let me introduce myself as an ardent fan of boxing. I love it to the extent that sometimes I can even forgo watching my favourite Manchester United for a boxing match. I am, therefore, also writing on behalf of other people who love this sport just as I do but are always let down by the way the game is handled by our local judges.
Let me point out that I am not conversant with how scores are picked during a fight but my little understanding tells me is that when a punch lands on body, it is a score. I stand to be corrected if I am wrong.
However, on several occasions you find that a fight that was supposed to have a winner judges decide to end it as a draw or when it is clear that one boxer is carrying the day like how it happened the weekend of September 29 at the Cummit Cultural Centre in Lilongwe, you find that judges score otherwise. After such incidents, you find boxing bodies promising to investigate the decisions and it ends there. Next time you patronise another fight you find a repetition of similar flaws when deciding the outcome.
I will pick a few incidents that I can recall. Some time back I patronised a fight between Kenneth Chinthenga and Osgoon Kayuni. The bout ended in favour of Kayuni but every spectator, including Kayuni himself, sounded very surprised upon hearing the final decision. I recall reading in the press the following day one of the boxing authorities promising to investigate and get to the bottom of the issue but until today nothing tangible transpired from the investigation.
The latest incident is the one that just took place last Sunday at Summit Cultural Centre during the fight between Chrispin Moliati and Welington Balakasi, where at the end of the fight everyone, including Balakasi himself, had no doubts that Moliati had carried the day only to hear from the judges that it was a no-contest. You could tell even from the commentator when he was about to announce the results that something had gone awfully wrong. These are but two out of many scenarios that had left supporters disappointed at the end of boxing matches.
What boxing organisers or authorities should know is that when people come to patronise the matches they sacrifice a lot such as their money, time and sometimes just like me, forgoing their favourite sport. For a sport such as boxing that is just gaining popularity with its fan base struggling to grow, I would urge the authorities to consider bringing professionalism in the game. Make sure those you entrust with the judges’ role are conversant with the rules and are not BIASED.
Otherwise, sometimes the image that both boxers and organisers portray is as if those matches are staged. I do not think any prospective promoters would be interested to get associated with a game that is portraying a bad face like that.
On the part of boxers, I feel decisions like that would always demoralise them, especially the boxer who feels deserved to win and instead judges decide he is not a winner. Lastly, I feel unless boxing authorities work towards bringing back the confidence that we the supporters have lost towards the game, only then will they see the boxing support base growing.
Concerned boxing fan, Lilongwe
