WE join the rest of the country in congratulating Zambia boxing heroine Catherine Phiri for becoming the first African female boxer to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight gold title.
The feat recorded by Catherine is indeed no mean achievement and needs to be commended by us all as she fought and won thousands of kilometres away from home and achieved what many Zambian boxers have failed to achieve.
The only other Zambian to challenge for the WBC main title was late legend, Lottie Mwale, a light heavyweight who made two unsuccessful attempts.
She becomes the only Zambian boxer to win a WBC main belt, a fete that most Zambian boxing greats failed to achieve but would be proud of Catherine’s accomplishment as it also silences those that doubted her.
Zambian sports has been denied success at international level save for a few success in motorsport and the Chipolopolo winning the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Gabon.
Doubts were raised when Catherine beat the likes of Nathalie Forget, Leslie Domingo, Hawa Daku, Pia Mazelanik and Bukiwe Nonina, with some saying she won the fights because she was fighting at home.
Her defeat to Christina McMahon in February last year stunned fans who thought she could not lose at home, a decision that went on to show that Oriental Quarries Boxing Stables (OQBP) does not stage fights.
An independent investigation into the fight by the WBC revealed some irregularities and ordered for a re-match which saw McMahon chickening out with Catherine given the mandatory fight against the champion Yazmin Rivas.
Catherine indeed accepted the fight and promised to win the fight and bring the belt back home, a feat she successfully achieved. And it is hoped that her victory will end all the qualms.
As President Edgar Lungu, ardent sports fan, said, Catherine has done Zambia proud. Catherine has sent shock waves across the globe such that even those who never knew where Zambia was now know.
The boxing stable needs to be commended for always having believed in and stood by Catherine in victory or defeat and above all the support that President Lungu has always offered to ensure sport thrives in Zambia.
Catherine will now be rated among the top class world boxers following her victory.
But there is need for her promoters to be wary on the need to allow Catherine concentrate on finishing her secondary school education as she enters Grade 11 this year.
Already, the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) pledged to sponsor Catherine’s tertiary education once she completes her secondary school studies.
Thus, it would be important to ensure that the boxer divides time between fighting in the ring which comes with weeks of training and being in class to secure her future as her sports career comes to an end at some point in future.
We have seen how miserable some athletes have been left after active sports and thus it would be important that Catherine looks after her savings very well so that this sustains her future.
As we appreciate Catherine’s sweat, it is our prayer that the boxer gets the fair share of the purse money which is usually kept hidden.
We have seen what has become of the likes of Mike Tyson after the achievements he scored and we would, therefore, like to see Catherine enjoy the benefits of absorbing those life-threatening punches in the ring and not anybody else.
Moreover she is young and has a future to secure.