THIS past week my attention was drawn to two unrelated items which were reported in some sections of the mainstream media. The first was the announcement by Exodus Boxing Promotions director and coach Anthony Mwamba that his stables was going to revive wrestling, a sport that had died with the demise of great wrestler William “Tiger Boy” Nkandu.
The other matter was from rival Oriental Quarries Boxing Stables director Chris Malunga who voiced the need to get World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion Catherine Phiri to fight outside Zambia and, thereby, break with tradition. I thought these were topical subjects and I felt it in order to share my views on them with you this week.
First, a look at at Mwamba’s suggestion. When the Zambia Professional Wrestling Control Board (ZPBWCB) was established by an Act of Parliament,  each of  the two sports (boxing and wrestling) was to be “… a body corporate capable of suing and being sued in its corporate name and performing all such acts as are necessary for or incidental to the carrying out of its objects and the performance of its functions under this Act.
“The objects of the Board are to regulate, control and exercise general supervision over professional boxing or wrestling at tournaments in Zambia with a view to the elimination of undesirable practices and the protection of the interests of boxers, wrestlers, promoters, officials and the public generally,” says the Boxing Act.
Over the years, the ZPBWCB has largely been performing the regulatory role in respect of professional boxing because, truthfully speaking, wrestling had gone into oblivion. It’s not clear why the groan and grunt game met this fate, but one of the reasons must be a lack of interest by would-be wrestlers compounded by a lack of sponsorship.
Mwamba said to kick start his pledge to revive wrestling, he would stage the first fight on March 14 as a curtain raiser to Esther Phiri’s welterweight unification bout against Sandra Almeida. The wrestling contest would feature two of the late Tiger Boy’s students.
My mind went down memory lane and recalled the days of the great Fred Coates, John Mwale and Nkandu himself who, it must be said, contributed a great deal to developing and popularizing  the sport in Zambia. I also recalled the last comical bout of 2005 between Kandu and a  Democratic Republic of Congo wrestler Lubandi Mamba Mulozi.
Mulozi told stunned reporters in Lusaka that he wanted to “bring a coffin for Nkandu so that I can put him in when I beat him on Sunday,” Mulozi also displayed an assortment of charms, carvings and an axe and painted his body in a white powder. The bout ended controversially as Nkandu appeared to have been “bewitched” by his opponent. I commend Mwamba for thinking a little outside the box to revive a sport that could have a large following.
Meanwhile, I agree with Malunga when he says Catherine should be given a chance to fight for the WBC title abroad to get used to “hostile environments.”
I would, however, point out that if a boxer is prepared not only physically and mentally, the venue should not and cannot always be a factor. In other words, if you are good enough, you can win anywhere.
Most American boxers fought or fight at home and examples include Floyd Mayweather Jr, Mike Tyson (he fought and lost to Lennox Lewis in London and in Australia, I think), Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes.
But it’s interesting also to note that when Lewis fought outside England (in South Africa), he lost his title to Hasim Rahman. So, yes, it makes sense to have a feel of what it’s like to fight in someone else’s backyard.
Comments: mwale.simon@yahoo.co.uk / 0966 755 574/0953744074