Gilbert Munetsi
CHAMPION boxer-turned promoter Charles Manyuchi has decided to move his boxing academy and promotion entity to Zambia.
He told Zimpapers Sport yesterday that the decision to relocate has been prompted by what he feels are astronomical fees which local promoters are having to pay here.
He said this was making it difficult, if not impossible, to recoup investments from events.
“The boxing environment in Zimbabwe is not conducive due to the gazetted fees that are way too high to sustain promotions.
“There is nothing we can do about it because they have been set and ratified by a higher authority, which is the Ministry of Sport, Art, Culture and Recreation.
“When, as a promoter, one looks at the benefit they would have derived from hosting a boxing tournament, there is virtually none because at the end of it all there is no financial reward to talk about.
“It’s as good as doing charity work.
“So, given the current state of things, I do not anticipate putting up any tournaments in Zimbabwe in the foreseeable future because it is expensive to do so.”
While he could not be drawn into revealing his immediate plans, this publication has it on good authority that Manyuchi has applied for and has been granted an academy licence, promoter and manager licence.
According to receipts issued by the Zambia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, he paid a total of K1 200, which equates to US$46.
For one to host a boxing event in Zambia, they are required to pay the equivalent of US$30, hire a boxing ring for US$25 and pay referees and judges US$40 each.
Boxers enjoy a zero percent levy on their purses. In Zimbabwe, the licence for a promoter is pegged at US$250. The international tournament sanction fee stands at US$275.
It costs around US$300 to hire a boxing ring, referees and judges require between US$80-$100 while the boxing control board is mandated to deduct 10 percent of a boxer’s earnings from each match.