Gilbert Munetsi
CHAMPION boxer, Charles Manyuchi, who is exiting the ring with 13 titles to his name will bid his Harare fans farewell on November 25 at Heritage Village.
Manyuchi will fight an eight round non-title bout which will see rising stars including Evans Usayihwevhu show what they are made of.
Seh Calaz will be the headline performer at the show.
Prior to the Harare Grand Finale bout, Manyuchi will on Sunday celebrate his 34th birthday with a boxing contest in which he takes on Alick Gogoda of Malawi in an eight-round non-title bout.
The tournament begins in the evening of Saturday and spills into the early hours of Sunday with Manyuchi taking to the ring at midnight.
There are a total 10 bouts on the card, as usual with a regional flair, as a couple of fighters from Malawi and Zambia will also grace the occasion.
Manyuchi’s camp announced they had extended an invitation to Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry though her office was also yet to confirm her presence. Manyuchi and Coventry share a history long before she was appointed Minister.
She was in 2014 awarded the Annual National Sports Awards Sports Woman of the Year gong at an event at which Manyuchi won the Sportsman of the Year accolade.
The Chivhu event will be held at Phil-Jen Country Lodges where the Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy has hosted a number of tournaments in the past.
“When some friends approached me to request that I take part in an event as part of my birthday celebrations, I could not turn them down,” said Manyuchi.
“Apart from having supported me throughout my career, I decided there was nothing wrong in entertaining the folks in Chivhu, where we have our academy headquarters, for a second time.
“So, I have been in camp for quite a while preparing for my Harare edition of the Grand Finale also happening at the end of this month and I do believe a tune-up fight against Gogoda will do me a lot of good. I had my last fight four months ago and have accumulated a bit of rust which needs to be shaken.
“I’m grateful to Gogoda for accepting to fight me on the night and fans should expect nothing short of five-star boxing entertainment. The tournament will also afford boxers from other stables a chance to fight as some have been without a fight for some time. It’s also an advantage for those who missed my last fight in Chivhu to see me in action before I call it quits.”