The Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 restriction on public gathering to a maximum of 100 has caught boxing promoters off their guard ahead of planned bouts this weekend.
Ngwenyama Boxing Promotions, who have lined up a fight between Osgood ‘The Punisher’ Kayuni and Byson ‘Fuso Fighter’ Gwayani at M1 Centre Point in Lilongwe on Sunday, have said they expect to incur a loss of over K4 million from the fight.
The boxing stable’s owner Patrick Ngwenyama said: “As promoters, boxing is our business and we invest a fortune to organise bouts with the hope of making a profit from gate revenue.
“But with the directive, it means we will lose out as we have already invested in venue bookings, hiring of a ring, medical personnel, bout officials and boxers upkeep, among others.
“So, having not more than 100 spectators means we will lose out big time, but the unfortunate part is that we cannot cancel the fight because we already signed contracts with boxers and venue owners.”
He said fans pay K5 000 for a seat in the VIP section while the standard entry fee is K3 000.
Besao Boxing Promotions is also in the same predicament having arranged a bout between Limbani ‘The Lion’ Masamba and Mussa Mkwanda at Motel Paradise in Blantyre on the same afternoon.
Besao’s director Bester Saopa said they have already spent about K1.6 million on the bout.
“The development has put us in a tight situation because we were counting on gate revenue to cover the costs and make a marginal profit. I really don’t know what to do now,” he said.
On whether the fight will go ahead, Saopa said: “I will have to consult my partner and main sponsor Gringer Bamusi of Balotelli Lodge, but we have no choice but to comply with the order.”
Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board president Lonzoe ‘Defector’ Zimba said the order will affect the sport
“We know government has made the decision in the wake of the rising cases of Covid-19 and we’ll have to comply with it fully to save lives of Malawians.
“But it has brought about a big challenge because some promoters had already arranged bouts and had already started investing in the events,” he said.
