PUGILISTS GEARED FOR ZONE SIX GAMES
By MICHAEL MIYOBA
ZAMBIA’S under-20 national boxing team coach Maybin Gunduzani has declared his boxers 90 percent ready for the Zone Six games scheduled to kick off on December 3 in Lesotho.
Gunduzani said in an interview that the boxers have shown a lot of determination to succeed at the youth games which will attract the best boxers from the region.
He said the team was determined to defend the championship which they won in 2018, the last time the youth games were hosted.
“So far so good at least we are just fine tuning the girls and boys. Last Saturday, we had a final preparatory tournament in Kabwe at which the boxers did extremely very well. So at least we are in the final wrap of preparations and so far we are about 90 percent ready.
“The last games where in 2018 and Zambia emerged as champions so we are going there as defending champions so it simply means that we need to go and defend our championship. That is our target,” Gunduzani said.
Gunduzani said morale was high in camp and the eight-member squad comprising three females and five male boxers were looking sharp.
Meanwhile, team technical member, Darrius Kabwe is confident that the team will win medals at the Zone Six games.
“The boxers look promising according to the way I have assessed them. The preparations with the seniors like the recent tournament we had in Kabwe, they beat all the senior boxers and I’m sure some of the boxers in camp will join the senior team next year because the commitment I have seen has been very positive,” Kabwe said.
Kabwe said Zambia has good boxers to compete at the Commonwealth Games scheduled for next year in Birmingham.