Nyob rau hauv Kaum Ob Hlis Ntuj ntawm 2014, Lion Heart’s Board of Directors met and resolved to have one final go developing Boxing in Zimbabwe by exploring the possibility of promoting a quarterly boxing series in Harare starting in April 2015. Raws li ib tug tshwm sim, lub tuam txhab txiav txim siab xa nws CFO, Edward Mendy, rau Zimbabwe tasked nrog tsuas yog ib lub hom phiaj-soj ntsuam cov feasibility ntawm hosting ib tug boxing kev sib tw nyob rau hauv Harare yuav tsum tau nyob rau Plaub Hlis Ntuj 16 los yog Plaub Hlis Ntuj 23, 2015 nyob rau hauv nrog Zim lub 35th Independence Day kev ua koob tsheej, or other date as feasible. Ancillary to same, Mendy twb tasked nrog nram qab no: (1) paub meej tias ib hnub, (2) luag ib tug venue, (3) book Zim boxers to feature in the Main Event, thiab / los yog co-ntsiab kev tshwm sim, thiab (4) ruaj ntseg board tso cai rau host cov kev tshwm sim.

Lub Main tshwm sim ntawm cov kev May 2015 inaugural event was slated to feature Former Two Time British Champion and Two Time Commonwealth Champion Danny Williams (46-18) kev noj nyob Bulawayo tus kheej Thamsanqa Dube (12-3), a former WBA Pan-African Champion. In the Co-Main Event, Namibian thiab yav tas los lub ntiaj teb no tus yeej Harry Ximoos (30-0) was selected to take on an opponent to be announced. The Undercard was to be highlighted by a special feature bout–WBC Africa Welterweight Charles Manyuchi (15-2) yog los mus tiv thaiv nws title on tsev av rau thawj lub sij hawm puas tau los yog cia li ua ib tug ntsuam xyuas kev sib ntaus (raug pom zoo los ntawm nws Zambian pab txhawb Chris Malunga thiab nws cov neeg koom tes). Manyuchi is currently the most internationally recognized Zimbabwean Boxer and has been plying his trade in neighboring Zambia since 2012 for lack of options at home. The event would have been broadcasted live on ZTV and streamed live worldwide on the Internet. Ntxiv, cov kev tshwm sim yuav tau rebroadcasted rau ib tug ncua hauv paus ntawm kev ua si hauv cheeb tsam raws nyob rau hauv lub teb chaws USA, uas ncav cuag tshaj 165 Lab American cable tsev (tshaj 100 Lab cim tsev) siv tsov plawv Boxing Productions’ established contractual relationships. Tsis tas li ntawd, cov kev tshwm sim tau slated yuav tsum tau syndicated regionally thiab nyob rau hauv lwm yam kev lag luam, thoob ntiaj teb raws li ua tau.

Nyob rau hauv furtherance ntawm lub tuam txhab Zimbabwe ambitions, Mendy sab laug New York rau Harare rau Lub ob hlis ntuj 26, 2015 on exploratory mission. He was received warmly by Zimbabweans of walks of life and spent a very enjoyable and productive ten days in Zimbabwe, visiting various cities and meeting with people. Lion Heart was able to achieve all of the stated goals except the last one, luag ZBB them nyiaj yug rau cov lus tshwm sim, txawm tias tus thawj lub rooj sib tham teem on Mendy lub txheej txheem yog tus Board. Tu siab, tsis tsuas yog lub Zimbabwe Boxing Board tsis muab cov requisite nod, nws yuav tsis txawm pib ib tug hauj lwm lub rooj sib tham ntawm cov Board yuav tau txais Mendy los yog lub rooj tsov plawv tus npaj. Rau hnub tim, thiab peb lub lis piam tom qab, Lion Heart has not received any correspondence from the Board on its application to host an event in May. The only information it has received relative to the event is from media reports, rau cov nyhuv uas cov Board yuav tsum tau ntau lub sij hawm rau txhob txwm.

Vim lub ZBB tus uas tsis yog-responsiveness, Lion Heart regrettably has decided to put its Zim Project on hold indefinitely. Says Lion Heart Event Coodinator Sporty Smith, “We have no choice but to put our Zim Project on hold since the ZBB has failed to afford us the smallest of professional courtesy. We can understand a Board’s refusal to sanction an event it does not like it. A failure by a Board to reply, raws li hnub kawg nws npaj thiab lwm yam tsis communcate, Txawm li cas los, is unheard of. Not only was the board frosty in its welcome of Edward Mendy, it would not even convene a meeting of the board even though advance arrangements were made with it. Ntxiv, the Board would not even give us the courtesy of a response despite numerous follow-up inquiries. What is most shocking about the whole thing, lub ZBB txiav txim (los yog inactions), yog hais tias nws tsis yog zoo li lub ZBB tau txiav tej tiag tiag boxing cov txheej xwm nyob rau hauv nws tam sim no lub sij hawm, ib tug peb-xyoo lub sij hawm uas tag nyob rau hauv Kaum Ob Hlis Ntuj, los yog tau tej boxing txheej xwm teem on nws daim ntawv qhia hnub. Tsis yog tej promoters lwm tshaj tsov lub plawv khob nyob rau hauv Board lub rooj los sis sim txhawb boxing cov txheej xwm nyob rau hauv Zimbabwe. Yog li, peb tiag tiag kev ntxhov siab muab cov tsis tshua sov siab txais tos thiab unabashed txaus siab peb tes num los yog tau txais los ntawm boxers, trainers, lwm mej zeej ntawm lub boxing zej zog, rau hauv xov xwm, tourism and other government officials as well as ordinary Zimbabweans. Basically we have a Boxing Board that has seen no boxing events in its current term, tsis tau nws yog tsis kuj nyob rau hauv lub xwb tiag tiag boxing kev tshwm sim tabled ua ntej nws, thiab ib tug npaj loj kev sib tw nrog chaw lees paub pib ntawm hais tias.”

Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv lub dag zog los pab tsim kev ua si nawv ntawm Boxing nyob rau hauv Zimbabwe, lub “Zim Project,” tau spanned tshaj ib xyoo caum. In addition to sponsoring various tournaments in Zimbabwe over the last decade, Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv Boxing Productions thiab nws cov tswv muaj sim pab ua ntej lub hauj lwm ntawm heev heev Zimbabwean boxers, nrog rau ces undefeated Thamsanqa Dube thiab Ishmael Kuckocha, los ntawm tus txhawb nqa lawv ntxiv lawv txoj kev kawm thiab kev ua haujlwm nyob rau hauv lub teb chaws USA. Txawm li cas los, txawm li cas nws ntseeg hais tias yuav tsum tau nws zoo tshaj plaws txoj kev mob siab, Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv Boxing Productions tau muaj heev txwv lub zoo nrog nws Zim Project thiab muaj me me los yog tsis muaj dab tsi los qhia rau nws cov Herculean kev siv zog los pab kev kawm Boxing nyob rau hauv Zimbabwe.

Boxing tournaments nyob rau hauv Zimbabwe uas tsov plawv txhawb nqa tsis tau yam nyiaj txiag tau. Ntxiv, ntau yam hauv zos promoters thiab Zimbabwean cov neeg koom tes (lwm yam tshaj li Gilbert Munetsi) that Lion Heart Boxing Productions had contracted with over the years had turned out to be unreliable and unproductive. Many of local promoters and partners promised much and delivered little. Ntxiv, the Zimbabwe Boxing Board would not approve the signing of any of the fighters that Lion Heart had interest in the 2000’s. Uas nyuam qhuav, Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv pom zoo pab ib tug me me lub zos pab txhawb, Delta Force Promotions, with an event he planned by securing the event’s purse money and depositing same with the Boxing Board. The local Promoter, Txawm li cas los, was unable to organize the event to the Board’s satisfaction. After that experience, Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv thaum kawg daws nyob rau hauv 2014 to give up on its Zim Project. Txawm li cas los, Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv twb ntxias los ntawm Chit lub zos raws li cov kws ntawv thiab yav tas los ZBB Board tug Gilbert Munetsi rau mob nyob rau hauv nws Zim endeavors thiab kom ua hauj lwm nyob rau hauv lub Zim Project.

Hais tias lub tuam txhab CFO Edward Mendy, “Yuav kom ncaj ncees, equal credit for our perseverance on the Zim Project should go to Gilbert Munetsi and I. But for our continued pleading and my obstinacy in the face of adversity, Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv yuav tau ntev haujlwm nws foray rau hauv Zimbabwe Boxing.”

Ntxiv Mendy, “Tom qab tshaj kaum xyoo ua hauj lwm tsis muaj kev kawm tau zoo nyob rau ntawm peb Zim Project, peb tsis muaj kev kawm tau zoo nyob rau hauv sim mus kos npe rau ntau yam Zim boxers rau coj mus rau lub teb chaws USA nyob rau hauv 2004-2005, lub fiasco nrog Cox Chigwana nyob rau hauv 2013 thiab peb ntau tsis ntev los no hai dag zog los pab Clyde Musonda thiab nws Delta Boxing Productions tau lawv cov kev tshwm sim ntawm lub thaj av nyob rau hauv 2013-14, peb tsuas muaj mus fim cov kev muaj tiag Zimbabwe tej zaum yuav tsis rau peb. Our trials and tribulations in Zimbabwe are well-documented, covered in great part by the Zim media and well-known to members of the current Board. While I am not one to give up easily, I learnt a long time ago that there is really no sound business reason for force a promotion in a jurisdiction with an unfriendly board. This is very unfortunate considering the scale of the proposed May event, nws tej zaum yuav jumpstart Boxing nyob rau hauv Zimbabwe thiab ua hauj lwm raws li ib tug lub tsheb rau sustainable kev ua si Tourism, lub siab ntawm cov neeg muaj feem lwm thiab cov kuj zoo kawg npaum li cas ua hauj lwm twb muab tso rau hauv lub Zim Project.”

Hais txog tsov plawv Boxing Promotions (lub pab txhawb)

Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv Boxing Productions yog ntiaj teb no Boxing pab txhawb thiab kev ua si lom ze Tuam txhab raws li nyob rau hauv lub US. Lub tuam txhab twb teem nyob rau hauv 2001 rau ib lub hom phiaj muab sab saum toj zoo tej xwm txheej nrog siab tshaj plaws kev lom zem nqi thiab tau nce boxing cov txheej xwm nyob rau hauv plaub continents. Lub tuam txhab sai sai khwv tau ib tug lub koob npe nrov raws li ib tug tsim kom muaj cov zoo sib ntaus thiab yog zoo respected rau nws ncaj ncees kev kho mob ntawm neeg tua hluav taws thiab kev cog lus rau neeg tua hluav taws’ txoj cai.

Tsov ntxhuav lub plawv Boxing Productions tau muaj raws li ib tug ntawm nws tug ncej rau neeg lub luag hauj lwm ib tug tshwj xeeb kev txaus siab nyob rau hauv pab tsim kev ua si nawv ntawm boxing nyob rau hauv teb chaws Africa. Qhov no txaus siab coj nws los txhawb boxing nyob rau hauv Zimbabwe thiab ib tug ib nrab ib kaum os African lub teb chaws, tag nrho cov zaubmov uas kawm tau zoo.

Contact Information

Yog xav paub ntxiv txog tsov plawv Boxing Productions, Ltd., Thursday Hmo ntuj Fights @ Yas Island, los yog lub Thursday Hmo ntuj Fights series, thov hu rau Edward B. Mendy, Chief Officer nyiaj txiag, ntawm +973-650-9721 los yog sau ntawv mus rau nws nyob rau hauvebmendy@gmail.com los yog 11 Eric Drive, Kinnelon, NJ 07405.