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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

THE Zimbabwe Boxing Federation (ZBF)’s 2020 National Open Boxing Tournament and annual general meeting scheduled for March 28 at Sizinda South Beergarden has not been spared by the 60-day ban on sporting activities declared last week as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

About 200 boxers were expected to trade leather at Sizinda South Beergarden which has now established itself as the “ceremonial home” of boxing in the country.

Boxers that had registered for the tournament were from host province Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Masvingo, Matabeleland South, Victoria Falls Academy, Mashonaland West and Black Rhinos.

“We are following instruction of President Mnangagwa to cancel all activities so that we manage the spread of coronavirus. As such, we’ve cancelled our first competition of the year which we had planned for Bulawayo as well as the annual general meeting,” said ZBF technical director Steven Masiyambumbi.

He urged boxers to continue training at their bases because a number of competitions are lined up as soon as the spread of Covid-19 has been contained.

Boxers should also follow the World Health Organisation guidelines and practise good hygiene and follow necessary precautions since the disease doesn’t discriminate.

A friendly regional tournament where Zimbabwe boxers were billed to feature alongside their eSwatini counterparts in Mozambique and the Zonal championship set for Angola in April have also been cancelled. Last month, ZBF sent three boxers Ndabezinhle Phiri, Brendon Dene and Freeman Mabvongwe to Olympic qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal.

The boxers were punched out of the qualifiers, with Phiri losing 0-5 to Ghanaian Sulemanu Tetteh in the flyweight division.

Dene lost 1-4 to Fiston Mbaya of DR Congo in the lightweight category, while Mabvongwe lost 0-5 to Mokhachane Moshoeshoe from Lesotho. — @ZililoR