FOLLOWING a dismal performance by the boxers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games that was staged in Glasgow, Scotland in July, it is time for the pugilists to make amends as they prepare to take part in the Kings Cup that will take place on October 23 to 30 in Morocco.
The Kings Cup is an International Boxing Association (AIBA) recognised boxing event, which provides a platform for the boxers, especially the new kids on the bloc to gain international exposure.
Taking into account next year’s inaugural African Championship, this platform will indeed act as a warm up for the participants across the continent.
National Boxing team Coach Kennedy Kanyanta has since picked a 21-man crack squad comprising nine females while the rest are males drawn from various clubs across the country.
The team has some of the most gifted and talented upcoming boxers in the country, a new breed of weight climbers, who fear no man as they crave for glory only.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Ben Muziyo will be leading the Zambian pack that includes Goodwell Shamenda, Chester Simpungwe of Zambia National Service (ZNS), Mbachi Kaonga of Red Arrows, Bwalya Lumbwe (Mufulira), Lawrence Mukuta and Danny Ngoma (Nakambala).
The rest are Emmanuel Ngoma of Oriental, Francis Zulu Junior (Evergreen), Chilufya Chikwanda (Nkwazi) Gilbert Choombe (Maamba), and Charles Lumbwe (Green Buffalos).
Kanyanta saw potential in Juliana Kasonka of Red Arrows, Sally Mambwe and Hildah Ng’andwe of green Buffalos, Violet Chalwe (Nkwazi), and Barbara Banda of Oriental, whom he drafted in the women team.
Fridah Katanga of Luanshya Municipal Council, Natasha Mumba (Konkola), Mary Kasolo and Joyce Luse of Exodus Stables are also part of the women’s team.
This edition of the Spectrum will look at the highlights of some of these youngsters in the ring this year.
Ben Muziyo
Muziyo’s best moment of 2014 was being one of the two Zambians, who came back home with medals from the Glasgow Games together with Judoka Boas Munyonga.
The Zambian recorded one of the fastest knockouts at the Commonwealth Games when he pummeled Cedric Olivier of Mauritius in just 50 seconds after unleashing a strong combination of punches to reach the semi-finals.
He settled for bronze after falling out at the hands of Antony Fowler of England.
Buoyed by that Glasgow triumph and an opportunity to face some of the top class boxers in the world, it is no doubt that with the experience gained, he will deliver at the Kings Cup.
Mbachi Kaonga
Kaonga is one of the courageous souls in the ring. He has developed into a monster puncher with excellent boxing skills that make him a very dangerous opponent to contend with.
He is making waves on the local scene with his great moves that have resulted in a string of some awesome knockouts.
With less than five years experience in competitive boxing, the knockout specialist as he is fondly known in the boxing circles had himself knocked out during the Glasgow Games by Heild Carl of Bahamas.
Kaonga, who sustained the fight with 21 seconds remaining on the clock saw the referee stop the fight to enable him receive medical attention after receiving some ruthless punches from Carl.
The Red Arrows boxer has however produced some of the mouthwatering performances that have seen him rise to the top of the country’s ranking at the moment.
His boxing characteristics that include an all-action fighting style and agility, thrilling to watch as he throws one big punch and in position to unload the next one, are what will be key at the Kings Cup if he applies them correctly.
Bwalya Lumbwe
Lumbwe is dubbed the next Kennedy Kanyanta on account of his agility and quick throwing of punches whenever in actions.
The budding star, who hails from Mufulira, the native town of Kanyanta has already shown his energies on the local scene with explosive punches.
In Glasgow, Lumbwe’s dream for a medal ended in the round of 32 when he was booted out of contention by Fazil Juma Kaggwa.
The youngster is surely breathing fire and now is the time to redeem himself.
Therefore, he must apply the same prowess he has shown on home soil if he is to come back home smiling from the Morocco championship.
Juliana Kasonka
On the female side, Kasonka is also an entertaining boxer, who carries the hopes of the female team to win big in Morocco next month.
The sensational pugilist recently won a silver medal at the 2nd African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana in the flyweight category.
She defeated her opponent from the hosting nation, Dipouiso Koketso on a split point decision enroute to the final.
Winning silver at the Africa Youth Games is enough exposure for Kasonka to aim higher this time around and inspire the female team to victory.
Barbra Banda
Banda is another flag bearer on the female front. The year 2014 has seen her make a giant leap into becoming one of the reliable boxers for the Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions (OQBP).
Her willingness to win fights is amazing and she is slowly becoming a driving force in her boxing career, following in the footsteps of renowned Catherine Phiri.
Banda’s punching power in both hands; head movement, ring intelligence, and killer instinct have tremendously improved and as she prepares for the Kings
Cup, she must work harder than ever before on perfecting her skills in readiness for the challenge.
After all is said, the 2014 is slowly coming to a close, it is therefore important for the boxers to aim at concluding this year’s international calendar on a high.
The year has had its highs and lows for each one of the pugilists in the team and a top flight finish can therefore build confidence ahead of the 2015 challenges.
Determination, hard work and high levels of discipline are keys to success. For now, I can only wish them the best as they seek to lift Zambia’s name higher.
I promise to feature other boxers in the team before the Kings cup next month but in the next edition, look out for a tale of a street kid-cum dependable player in the Handball national team.
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