ALL HAIL THE QUEEN

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!

By Mike Mubanga

Catherine Phiri next to her manager Chris Malunga

All this time, I have always held female boxing sensation Catherine Phiri in high esteem and the night of Saturday September 28^th, 2013 was no different.

It was a night that the young World Professional Boxing Federation-WPBF bantamweight champion got a shot at the African Boxing Union-ABU Bantamweight belt.

Six hours before the fight, I checked in to know how Cathy was doing, her feelings ahead of the big fight, and one of the biggest to be staged in Zambia in recent years.

Looking straight in my eye with a convincing statement, Cathy stated. “I am ready, I believe in myself, and fans should look out for the new ABU Bantamweight champion. The pressure is there but I am going out there to do it.”

The build-up to the fight had been stressful for her, knowing that she had to attend to school matters and train for the big fight at the same time. Months back, she enrolled as a Grade nine pupil at Lusaka’s Namununga primary school.

Her opponent, Toma Hawa Babirye of Uganda had filled the local newspapers with all sorts of press statements and ‘threats’ for the young Cathy, telling the continent that she would know her out in the seventh round, what a statement.

I was one of those that were assured by Toma of the seventh round knockout. She even went further to tell me. “I am not here to play, I am here to show Cathy what I am made of, I don’t know much about her, but I promise my fans that I will knock her out in the seventh round,” Toma said in an interview shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

Toma had earlier that day arrived at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport via a Kenyan Airways flight at 23:43 hours accompanied by her coach Michael Kizza and welcomed by Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions Operations Director Chris Malunga.

At the Oriental Quarries Gym, Cathy said one thing. “I have heard that Toma is talking too much, let her continue talking but in the ring, I will be the boss.”

The moment of truth fell on Toma, who failed to stand the 10-rounder fight, with Cathy on song at the highly packed Mulungushi Conference Centre in Lusaka.

The first three rounds were a nightmare for the 26 year old Ugandan, and the end of the fourth round was even worse, as Toma was showered with excessive punches by the young lady.

Babirye was surely running out of ideas, and the cheers from fans inside the nearly packed Mulungushi Conference Centre motivated Catherine to go for the killer blow.

“Kill the burger, will bury her here,” sang the crowd.

But it was in the eighth round that Catherine served the best for last when she technically knocked out Babirye, forcing Zimbabwean referee Patrick Mkondiwa to stop the fight.

Deservedly, the win stretched her professional unbeaten record to seven fights.

 “I was the boss in the ring, I told you that. She told me she would knock me out in seven rounds but I did it in the eighth round. This brings a lot of happiness to me. I want to prove in education that I can do it too by passing my grade nine exams. My aim is to get the WBC belt, when I get that, I will be very happy,” Cathy confidently said after the fight.

Cathy wears the biggest smile which her Manager Chris Malunga cannot wear

CHARLES IS TRULY THE INVINCIBLE.

Oh my, anyone who watched Charles ‘the Invincible’ Manyuchi pummel powerless Isaac Sowah of Ghana to defend his ABU welterweight belt can say the same thing, Charles was a beast!

I have not seen a Bolo Punch being used by our Zambian boxers lately, but Charles, who hails from Zimbabwe, used it well and very timely, to kill off his opponent.

“Alapena Uyu, Isaac Alapene (this one will go mad, Isaac will go mad) said national boxing coach Kennedy ‘The Moving Trap’ Kanyanta, who was watching the fight next to me at ringside.

From my observation, the mistake that Isaac made was to hit Charles under the belt. That was so wrong, and his action led to a punishment, a punishment that he will never forget.

In round three of the main bout, Charles went for a killer, chasing his opponent and blowing him out concurrently. This was then followed by a Liver Shot, in which the Invincible’s left hook connected with the lower right side of Isaac’s body with devastating effect.

Isaac was punched so hard that it turned into a Queer Street.  The guy did not have full control of his faculties after taking punishment; he even threw a punch to referee William Sekeleti, sending the crowd to go bananas.

The Ring Generalship went to Charles Manyuchi. He outclassed Isaac Sowah, and has already thrown a dig at current World Boxing Council-WBC Champion Patrick Allotey of Ghana.

“I want the WBC, Isaac was my messenger to Patrick, who is holding the belt illegally, it is mine, I will get it with ease. I believe Sowah has taken the message,” says Manyuchi.

How I wish that Cathy and Charles should continue fighting on the same bill because believe me, their ways of fighting is more entertaining than any other boxers I have seen in a while.