Zimpapers Logo

Midlands Correspondent
TWENTY schools will today converge at Tropicana Hotel in Kwekwe for the inaugural schools’ boxing championships. The inaugural championships come after the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) introduced boxing as one of the disciplines in schools’ sport.

Jimmy Mpalali, the headmaster of Mbizo High School in Kwekwe, is the national head in charge of boxing.

Zimbabwe Boxing Federation secretary-general, Goodwill Sibanda confirmed the developments and said today’s championships would be used to select teams for the National Youth Games to be held in Mutare.

“The tournament is meant to develop boxing at grassroots level and it will be the first of its kind. It will also be used to pick boxers to represent provinces at the National Youth Games to be held in August,” said Mpalali.

“We will have boxers from all age groups from 14 to 18 years. We will have two divisions, the youths and the cadets,” he said.

The tournament starts at 2PM and will see winners of the inaugural championships receiving medals as a way of motivating the up-and-coming boxers.

Some of the schools expected to take part in the tournament are Bulawayo’s Milton High School and Magwegwe High while Prince Edward, Allan Wilson and Churchill High will represent Harare province.

Host province Midlands will have the bulk of the schools at the championships and will be represented by Mbizo High, Kwekwe High, Matinunura, Mkoba 3 High and Ascot High School, among others.

It could not be immediately ascertained as to which schools would represent the other seven provinces.

Sibanda said the schools’ championships would be followed by an elite championship whereby senior boxers from different divisions will trade leather into the night.