I WRITE today’s column with a sense of liberation. Liberation in that following my separation from the Zambia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (ZPBWCB) where I have been board secretary the last five months, I will be freer to express my views without ‘Big Brother’ watching, hopefully.
After this past week’s developments and deep reflection on the aim of this column-to discuss topical issues and contribute to the development of the sport-I can claim that the column has had some impact on the readership, even though that impact was negative as it displeased some.
However, this column was not meant to sing praises where things are clearly wrong, but to offer constructive criticism to any and all stakeholders in the development of the fistic sport.
At no point during its course was the column aimed and scandalising, ridiculing or maliciously attacking anyone without backing with facts.
Whatever issues I discussed were, and will continue to be, based on the kernel of truth. Unfortunately, the truth always hurts and, as. Jimmy Cliff says in one of his songs, “He who feels it knows it.”
I have written this column for the last five years and, in many ways, I have much to celebrate it for what it has done for me. The column has been the proverbial double edged sword for me.
When the ZPBWCB sought someone to replace Ben Saili who had left the post for personal reasons, someone within the boxing fraternity proposed my name to take over. I was thus approached by some board members to consider taking up the position. If no one proposed my name, I wouldn’t have served the board; I did not lobby for the position.
Before accepting the position, I asked the appointing authorities if I would be allowed to continue writing my column even as board secretary and they said yes. Five months down the line, the same column has brought about my removal from the board as it, apparently, stepped on sensitive toes of the authorities. Interestingly, the same authorities were always quiet when I praised them.
I have carefully and thoroughly scrutinised all the pieces I have written during my time at the board for an article or articles that would have ridiculed the board, as was alleged in the separation letter and I have found none. Admittedly, there are certain pieces I wrote prior to joining the board that were critical of the authorities.
In the absence of specifics about the offending articles, it would appear to me that some of those past articles and the one I did on the recent Mwenya Musenge Boxing stables tournament were cumulatively used to indict me.
Indeed, the article published on June 8 titled “Kitwe Boxing Bonanza” certainly rankled the promoter Mwenya Musenge as confirmed by my encounter with him at the pre-tournament meeting between the board and the promoter at a local hotel in Kitwe on June 7.
When someone introduced me as the author of Ring Talk, Musenge said to me: “You, how can you say…little known UBC in your column?”He was referring to a part where I referred to the Universal Boxing Council, for which title one of his boxers was fighting, as being not one of the major sanctioning bodies at world level.
He was of the view that I was trying to demean UBC. The truth, however, was that I was merely stating a fact, without any malice aforethought.
I explained to Musenge that my usage of the phrase “little known” was in comparison and contrast with other bodies, adding that if 10 knowledgeable boxing persons were asked about which organisations were universally recognised as the main sanctioning bodies, nine out of 10 would mention the WBC (World Boxing Council), WBA (World Boxing Association), IBF (International Boxing Federation) and the WBO (World Boxing Organisation).
Anyway, I started my short stint at the board largely due to the recognition and contribution to the development of the sport of this column.I have left largely because of it, coming full circle, you could say.
I thank board chairperson Nelson Sapi for his guidance and I want him to know that my family and I will forever be indebted for his generous financial contribution towards the funeral of my late father who passed last April 16. I wish the board every success.
mwale.simon@yahoo.co.uk / 0966 755 574/ 0953744074