Former boxer Nginjale dead
Malawi Boxing Association (Maba) and Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board (MPBCB) have described the death of former boxer Nginjale Young Tough Ben Chitenje yesterday as a big loss.
Maba president Justice Katika and his MPBCB counterpart Lonzoe Zimba said the 36-year-old was instrumental in raising the profile of the game both as a boxer and a boxing official.
“As a boxer, his provocative pre-match talks in the media had a charm to attract multitudes and motivate up-and-coming boxers. We will miss this legendary boxer and may his soul rest in eternal peace,” he said.
Zimba said apart from helping to popularise the sport, the deceased was a competent boxing judge and referee.
“He qualified as a boxing judge two years ago and he was one of the officials we were looking up to in our mission to develop the standards of the sport,” he said.
According to his elder brother and Mulanje Last Boxing Promotions director, Mike Chitenje, Nginjale passed on at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre after a short illness.
The deceased’s family was yet to announce the funeral programme as we went to press.
As of yesterday, the remains of the ex-boxer, who was a truck driver at Pro-Feeds, were at College of Medicine Mortuary.
Nginjale, is survived by a wife and four children.
He came from Chigwembere Village Traditional Authority Chikumbu in Mulanje.
He started boxing in the late 1990s and retired in 2011. n
