Zimbabwean boxer Tinashe “Chairman” Madziwana has blamed poor preparations for his defeat to Namibia’s Matheus Heita in the World Boxing Association Pan-African Super Bantamweight title fight at the weekend.
The fight was held in Walvis Bay, Namibia, on Saturday and it marked his last bout for the year as he now takes a break before he goes back to the ring in the New Year.
The 33-year-old attributed the loss to lack of preparation time and adequate resources as he was forced to retire in the sixth round after complaining of chest pains.
“I lost to a better prepared boxer though I am more experienced. I have been into boxing for 14 years and I have never looked back. I lost the fight because my preparation wasn’t good enough as far as boxing is concerned. I went there and tried my best, but the day wasn’t mine,” Mwadziwana said.
“Now I’ll rest, then meet up with my management team and plan for next year. For this year, I’m done.”
“I will not quit, but I’ll try next time.”
The issue of sponsorship has been an ongoing problem among a number of different sport codes in the country and Mwadziwana is no exception.
“I’m calling on government, corporates and individuals to support and invest in boxing like other countries. However, I want to thank everyone who supported me and give assurance to my fans that I’ll try my best next time.”
The boxer’s trainer Clyde Musonda said with better preparations, he could have brought the belt home.
“He struggled from the third round up to the sixth and I had to ask him if he was still able to fight. He then told me he couldn’t continue due to chest pains,” he said.
“So truly speaking, at that level of the competition, we didn’t do enough preparations due to zero sponsorship, which I have seen was the major problem.
“Boxing is one of the hardest sports in the world and requires good preparations, but we failed to meet the required diet, equipment and camping which I believe can make boxers win titles.”
–newsday.co.zw
