Story by Tichaona Kurewa
THREE young Zimbabwean boxers are set to make history as they represent the country at the prestigious International Boxing Association (IBA) 2024 Youth World Boxing Championships in Montenegro at the end of this month.
The IBA Youth World Boxing Championships are slated for Budva, Montenegro from the 21st of October to the 4th of November attracting young male and female boxers from across the globe.
Three young Zimbabwean boxers, Julaykah Balakazi, Sean Pambeni and Mqheli Moyo will represent the country at the tournament.
Balakazi is from Harare, Pambeni hails from Victoria Falls while Moyo is from Hwange.
“I’m proud as a girl child to represent my country, it shows that the country has confidence in us. I promise to bring gold medals back home,” said Balakazi.
“We are honoured to be representing Zimbabwe at this tournament, we will not disappoint,” added Bambini.
Moyo said, “We are grateful to the support we have received from our coaches. We are ready for the tournament.”
National Boxing Youth Coach, Mphilis Moyo believes the young boxers will rise to occasion.
“As coaches, we are satisfied that we have well prepared the three young boxers for this tournament. They are physically and psychologically fit to participate at the tournament. We have been camping with them since the start of the month.”
Victoria Falls Boxing Academy’s head coach, Tobia Mupfuti said, “We wanted to send about ten boxers to the tournament and we started off our training with that number, but because of funding, we have since trimmed the team to three boxers and two coaches. We are also making effort to raise own fund through the gym to compliment the support we get from elsewhere and we are grateful for such support.”
The IBA Youth World Boxing Championships, which attracted approximately 600 young boxers in 2022 provide a crucial platform for developing the next generation of elite athletes.
