Boxer misses title fight after conviction

Local lightweight boxer Israel Kam’mwamba has failed to travel to Tanzania for a Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) title bout against Tanzanian Mtango Salimu following his court conviction for malicious damage to property.

The boxer was expected to travel to Tanzania on Monday by road ahead of the fight which was scheduled for tomorrow, but according to Steve Mawenzi Msiska, the fight’s matchmaker, the bout has since been cancelled.

In an interview, Blantyre Police deputy spokesperson Dorah Machila-Chathyoka said  Kam’mwamba, 26,  was sentenced to four months imprisonment with hard labour for escaping from lawful custody.

She said: “Besides the conviction, he was also charged with malicious damage to property.

“What happened was that on September 10, he  committed an offence of malicious damage and was arrested on September 12. On the same day, he attempted to escape from custody and he was apprehended and charged with escaping lawful custody.

“He has been sentenced to four months imprisonment for attempting to escape while the case of malicious damage is still in court,” she said.

Machila-Chathyoka also said that before his latest arrests, Kam’mwamba was convicted of “acts intended to cause grievous harm and he was sentenced to 480 hours of community service”.

Meanwhile, Msiska said the boxer communicated about his conviction.

“That means the bout cannot take place. It is unfortunate because he stood to showcase his skills to a wider audience as the fight would have been beamed live on several television channels,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Kam’mwamba, whose record stands at 12 wins (seven KOs), seven losses (three KOs) and a draw, last fought against Zimbabwean Ndodana Ncube in a non-title bout in January this year which he won on points.

He is considered as one of the best boxers on the local scene.