Chiotcha trims Masamba to size in title fight

Chimwemwe Chiotcha’s aggressiveness, power and ruthlessness forced Limbani Masamba to surrender in the fourth round of a welterweight title bout at Kamuzu Institute for Sports (KIS) in Lilongwe on Saturday.

In the first stages of the fight sponsored by New Dawn Boxing Promotions, Masamba gave his fans false hopes when he landed telling punches on Chiotcha’s face.

But instead of scaring him off, the blows made Chiotcha ‘mad’. He came into the second round with fury.

A combination of body punches followed by two straight uppercuts from Chiotcha had Masamba wobbling.

Chiotcha continued his ruthlessness in the third round when he, on several occasions, confined his opponent to the ropes.

To buy time, Masamba started holding tactics which infuriated Chiotcha more.

On several occasions, the two boxers tangled to the canvas like wrestlers, much to the displeasure of the fans.

In the fourth round, Chiotcha was unrelenting in his quest for the belt and punished Masamba with more body punches.

Despite feeling dizzy, Masamba held on until the end of the fourth round.

When the bell rang to signal the start of the fifth round, Masamba failed to rise from his corner as medics and officials attended to his injuries. He eventually surrendered.

“I was hit on the back of my head several times and that affected me. I felt dizzy and could not continue with the fight. If it were not for those head punches, I would surely have gone in and won the match. It is unfortunate that the referee [Casim Makwinja] did not punish him,” said Masamba.

“I told you he won’t last the fourth round and you thought I was joking. He was wise to retire in that round or elseakanapita naye kuchipatala [he would have been rushed to the hospital]. He showed a lot of disrespect to us his elders. I had to shut him up for good,” said Chiotcha.

The new welterweight king has since dedicated his belt to Malawi Defence Force Commander General Henry Odillo.

Chotcha got K100 000 as prize money while Masamba got K170 000.

Seven Eleven and Tiles &Tap also contributed money towards the fight.

New Dawn director Mike Chimaliza expressed happiness with the turnout.

Malawi Boxing Control Board president Lonzoe Zimba described the fight as professional.