Chilemba bails out local boxers

boxing icon Isaac Chilemba has donated equipment worth over K400 000 to local boxers.

The 31-year-old said he donated 10 pairs of gloves (six for men’s and four for women’s), 10 pairs of head wraps, two punch-bags, two headgear and two groin protectors to both professional and amateur boxers at Kamuzu Institute for Sports (KIS) in Lilongwe.

He said his decision comes after his recent visit to the boxing training venue, which is the base for some of the country’s well-known professional boxers such as Wilson Masamba, Osgood Kayuni, Salimu Chazama, Alick Mwenda, Limbani Masamba and Chrispin Moliati.

“When I was in Malawi a few weeks ago, just before my fight [against Russian Dimitry Bivol) in the United States, I trained at that place and I really felt bad for the youths training there, as they did not have equipment such as punch bags and gloves.

“But these guys are so dedicated to the sport that they train at this place every day. So after my fight, I decided to give them some equipment to use. This is just something to start on; I will give them more equipment when I come over,” he said.

One of the boxers, Moliati thanked the former World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion.

“This is a big relief for us because we struggled a lot in our preparations for bouts. We thank Chilemba for this support,” he said. n