JUST before I  sat down to write today’s column, I learnt about the switch of opponent for come backing multi-division titlist Esther Phiri who steps in the ring tonight against Kenyan Evelyn Odoro at Kabulonga Chez Ntemba night Club in Lusaka.
It’s extremely hard for me to comment intelligibly on Evelyn, a replacement for Uruguayan Jeniffer Faccio who was initially billed to face off against the Zambian, but could not make it to Zambia for what has been reported as “logistical reasons.”
First things first, I don’t know what kind of fighter Evelyn is because her name does not appear anywhere on the Boxrec.com website which is a respected and reliable register of boxers world-wide. I did two searches for Evelyn and each time the response was the same: no data available.
And so the first question that crossed my mind after reading that Exodus Boxing Promotions owner and Esther’s trainer Anthony Mwamba and Esther both claimed the Kenyan would offer stiffer competition than Jeniffer was, what is the basis for their claim?
I wished, at this writing, Mwamba could have helped me with Evelyn’s record so that I, too, could be able to compare the two boxers on an equal footing. My guess is that Evelyn is not even rated in her own country because most, if not all, boxers worth their salt must appear on Boxrec.com. If there’s another website where Evelyn is rated, I would appreciate it if those close to the organization of this fight would be kind enough to avail me of it.
Looking at Jeniffer’s record, I was equally shocked that she’d been offered this fight, even if someone wanted to make Esther look good in her return to the ring after a two-year hiatus because, the Uruguayan has such an appalling record.  I noticed that she’s nick-named “Miss KO” (miss knockout) for all the wrong reasons!
In its natural and ordinary sense, the impression created by the moniker “Miss KO” was that Jennifer must be a knockout artist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jennifer has only won three fights from 10 with one by KO. She has lost six times and five of them were KO! She has only boxed 36 rounds. So, apart from being raw in the sport, Jennifer is remembered more for her KO losses than anything else!
Is this the boxer who has lost her last five fights in a row who should have been matched against even a retired, but arguably not tired Esther? Jennifer was certainly going to be a walkover for Esther. But then, the replacement, Evelyn, who is an unknown quantity, could turn out to be even worse. I shudder to imagine what kind of fight fans will watch tonight when an accomplished fighter like Esther is matched against someone with an unknown fight record.
The Kenyan may, however, offer competition if Esther did not train hard enough, which I very much doubt because the Zambian icon will go all out to win convincingly and prove to her critics  that the two years out of the ring haven’t left her rusty.
Meanwhile, congratulations to the Zambian boxers who won medals at the recent 2014 African Union Sports Commission (AUSC) Region 5 Youth games in Zimbabwe. Lightweight Timothy Chiyesu and light-welterweight Nkumbu Silungwe (gold) and bantamweight Emmanuel Phiri (silver) and  flyweight Rabson Tembo who reaped bronze need commendation and they must be encouraged to fulfill their aspirations in line with the Games’ theme: ‘reach for greatness.’
National youth boxing team coach Wisdom Mudenda said Zambia would have won more medals had they had more representatives. Only four boxers represented the country and each managed to win a medal.
Comments: mwale.simon@yahoo.co.uk
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