Boxer Mkandawire floored in title bout

Super bantamweight boxer Yamikani Mkandawire on Friday lost to  Tanzanian Tony Rashid through a technical knockout in the second round of the Africa Boxing Union title bout held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The embarrassing defeat raised questions of the standards of boxing in the country as most boxers do not do well in international fights.

In an interview yesterday, coach Leonard Metazama, who accompanied  Mkandawire, attributed the loss to a lucky punch that his opponent landed on the boxer that caused a cut.

He said: “It was a good fight, but the boxers started strongly and in the process they clashed. Yamikani sustained a cut on his ear which led to bleeding.

 “It was a good fight. If he had survived the first four rounds, he would have  had chances to win.”

However, Metazama admitted that lack of standard equipment as well as inadequate preparations affect Malawian boxers in international fights.

“Yamikani is not the first to lose in early rounds of a fight. Most of the boxers who have fought international fights have not done well because of poor preparations and lack of training facilities.