. Phiri

By GWEN  CHIPASULA –
ORIENTAL Quarries Boxing Promotions (OQBP) have vowed to beat any international bid for Catherine Phiri to have her World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight interim gold title rematch against holder, Christina McMahon staged outside Zambia in November.
The stable is determined to see Catherine face-off with McMahon again in Lusaka after WBC ordered for a rematch following some controversial judging in the last fight.
OQBP manager Christopher Malunga said in an interview yesterday that the stable would fight hard and better any bid to ensure Catherine fights home.
WBC called for a rematch following a protest from OQBP who felt judges wrongly awarded points to McMahon.
The world boxing body also gave McMahon’s camp a two-week ultimatum to place a bid for the bout.
Malunga said so far only a week was remaining for the period WBC gave the Irish boxer and her camp to tie up the fight.
“We are very confident that our bid will be better and we shall stage the fight. They have a week remaining to reply to us and WBC and so we are just waiting,” he said.
Catherine promised to put up a better showing and beat McMahon when they clash again in the boxing ring on November 28 .
She predicted that the rematch would be easier for her after studying McMahon’s fighting tactics.
“I know her skill now and I can not wait for the rematch fight because I am very much set for it,” she said.
OQBP is also pleased with the skills of United Kingdom-based Zambian boxer Oriance Lungu, who underwent trials earlier this week at the stable.
“My coach gave me a report that the boxer is very good. We are very happy with her because she is a good boxer,” he said.
Malunga said OQBP would work hand-in-hand with the boxer’s English club Haringey Police ABC.
“We respect her club. We shall not use her anywhere minus the club’s authority because they are the ones that groomed her. But we are happy with her performance,” he said.
He said Lungu would for now remain in the United Kingdom and that OQBP would be getting permission from her club each time the local stable wanted her to fight in Zambia.
Lungu said she was happy to be in Zambia and that her aim was to represent the nation at the Olympic Games where she hoped to reap medals.