By GWEN CHIPASULA –
A BUOYANT Catherine Phiri says she will not be intimidated fighting World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight gold champion, Yazmin Rivas in her home country, Mexico, on November 28.
The WBC named Catherine as the mandatory challenger for the female gold bantamweight title against the Mexican champion after Christina McMahon was stripped of the interim title for refusing to defend the belt against the Zambian champion.
Catherine said at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday that she was ready to fight and beat Rivas in Potosi, Mexico, and that it had always been her dream to have a big title fight outside the country.
While acknowledging that fighting Rivas would be tough, Catherine said she had prepared well and was confident of putting up a good show to win the fight.
“I know she is good because I have been watching her fights but I am also preparing very hard and my trainer is making sure that I go through everything that I am supposed to do. I know with the programme my trainer has put up, everything will go on just fine,” she said.
Rivas boasts 34 wins from her 40 fights and 10 wins have come through knockouts and has eight defeats while Catherine has 10 wins, five via knockouts, from 11 fights losing just once.
Catherine’s trainer Mike ‘Weaver’ Zulu said he had faith in his boxer and believed she would put up a very good fight and bring the title home.
Meanwhile, Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions (OQBP) manager Christopher Malunga said Catherine would have an advantage fighting outside the country because she would gain more exposure.
Malunga said Catherine would travel to Mexico 10 days before the fight to familiarise herself.
“I know people think we lost the bid, but that is not it. We did not reach that stage because we just thought that it would be cardinal for our boxer to travel outside and gain the experience, just like we did with Charles Manyuchi,” he said.
Malunga said the stable would stage the promotions fight on November 14 which would also act as Catherine’s fairwell. He said the tournaments would have six bouts with four international bouts and that the boxers were still being paired.
He said the stable managed to put aside K250,000 to have a successful event.