Oriental in K303,000 shortfall for double World Boxing Council title promotion.

The shortfall represents just 40 per cent of the amount needed to stage the tournament.

OQBP operations manager, Chris Malunga said yesterday at a Press briefing in Lusaka that sponsors were coming on board and one more had joined the platinum band, the highest sponsorship band on offer.

He, however, appealed to more corporate companies to join the list of sponsors and make Zambia’s biggest boxing tournament a huge success.

“We are having some companies and right now there have been some companies who have kept coming on board. Very soon we shall be announcing the new platinum sponsor who will join Oriental as a platinum sponsor.

“As it stands now, we are looking for K303, 000 from our total budget. This is quite encouraging and I would like to thank those who have already come on board and I am appealing to more to join us in this quest,” he said.

Oriental will on January 25 host Zambia’s biggest ever boxing promotion where two WBC belts will be on offer in the bantamweight and welterweight categories.

First up will be Zambian boxing princess in Catherine Phiri who will fight France’s Caroline Homki in the women’s WBC bantamweight inter-continental title bout.

Then the biggest bill of the day will be a men’s WBC welterweight Inter-continental title fight between Zimbabwean Charles Manyunchi against Ghanaian Patrick Allote, a former Africa Boxing Union (ABU) champion.

Both Phiri and Manyunchi are reigning ABU champions.

Malunga also announced that Zimbabwe was interested in the bill and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Services wanted to have the bout televised and would come in to buy the televising rights for the bill.

And Superior Milling has said it would give a package of K5, 000 to every local boxer who wins a bout during the January 25 promotion.

Superior Milling managing director, Peter Cottan said there would be could more sponsorship from the firm and called on other business houses to join in sponsoring boxing. have been involved in boxing a lot before and I know what it takes to organise such an event and I would like to appeal to companies to join in on this. To the people, we are asking them to buy our products like mealie-meal. Because if they do so, we shall give a lot more to the sport,” he said.

times of zambia