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Tamuka Muchapondwa

Albert Marufu in LONDON
ENGLAND-based Zimbabwean boxer Tamuka Muchapondwa has fired a salvo at former Commonwealth welterweight champion John O’Donnell for pulling out of their English title fight.

Muchapondwa and O’Donnell were scheduled to trade leather tonight for the English welterweight title at the 02 Indigo in London, but the latter pulled out of the tournament, citing injury.

This is the second time O’Donnell has pulled out of the fight, drawing the ire of Muchapondwa.

“I am very disappointed because I was looking forward to the fight and had done well to take him out. I even argued with John O’Donnell on Twitter because I wasn’t happy with him pulling out of the fight.

”I usually upload my videos training on Twitter and I think he saw them and got scared. In my view I think he doubts his pedigree as a fighter,” said the dreadlocked pugilist who lives in Reading.

He added: “He is claiming that he has a genuine injury, but he gave the same reasons last year in September. Last year he pulled out before our September 9 fight and this year again before October 20. We have now been given a final deadline by the British Boxing Board of Control to fight for the British title eliminator before December 28. Whoever wins gets to fight for the British title.”

Muchapondwa, who was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, on February 10, 1993, has won 16 of his 17 professional bouts since turning professional in 2012.

His only professional dent came after losing to Cameroonian Serge Ambomo in his only fight this year on May 5.

“I took the fight on a short notice and had not prepared well,” said Muchapondwa whose management team is composed of strength and conditioning coach Thom Joice, manager Chris Sanigar and public relations manager Shahbaz Chouldry.

He also occasionally gets advice from another Zimbabwe-born UK-based boxer Dereck Chisora who fights in the heavyweight division.

Muchapondwa, however, laments the supports he is getting from the Zimbabwean community in the United Kingdom.

“Chisora is like a brother to me. He told me never to stop training even if I do not have a fight because fights do come any time,” said Muchapondwa, who still regards himself as a Zimbabwean at heart and is also a strong admirer of former world heavyweight champion, American Mike Tyson.

“Ultimately, my dream is to become a world champion and it would be nice to have the Zimbabwean community in the United Kingdom supporting me.”

Muchapondwa, who came to the UK at the age of 10 from his native Zimbabwe, joined boxing merely to lose weight.

“I weighed 105kg at the age of 13 and that was not healthy at all. My goal was to reduce weight and within six months, I had lost 35kg. I won 31 of my 40 fights before turning professional,” he said.