By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

THE Zambia Boxing Federation (ZBF) has re-introduced the annual tourism national championship after a brief absence.
ZBF president Thomas Chileshe said the move was aimed at offering a platform for the boxers to showcase their skills.
He said the federation had set its targets higher this year and that it was prudent to have a number of local tournaments that would accord an opportunity to all pugilists in the country.
“We want to be picking the boxers for international engagements on merit. It is therefore important that we should come up with a lot of competitions where our boxers can compete for places in national teams,” Chileshe said.
He announced that this year’s tourism national championship would be held at this monthend and would attract boxers from across the country.
Meanwhile, Chileshe said ZBF had struck a deal with their Nigerian counterparts that would see boxers from the West African nation come to Zambia for a two-week training camp.
He said the move was part of preparations for the two countries ahead of the 2015 All Africa Games (AAG) to be staged in Brazzaville, Congo.
Chileshe said the Nigerian boxers were expected in the country on April 4 for the training camp at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) in Lusaka.
“We are glad to mention that our colleagues from Nigeria will be coming to train with us for two weeks at OYDC next month. This is a good development for our boxers as we prepare for All Africa Games,” he said.