By GODFREY DUBE –
THE two Zambian boxers at the World Boxing Championship in Hamburg got tough draws against European opponents and will need to be at their best with a dash of lucky to progress.
The two today begin their quest for glory with sweat and bloody in the Germany city among the best amateur boxers in the world.
All eyes will be on boxer Mbachi Kaonga and Nkumbu Silungwe, as 10 years have passed since the country last had a representative in such a tournament where they got knocked out in the first round.
Light welterweight Nkumbu Silungwe will be the first Zambian boxer to enter the ring this afternoon as he takes on Ukraine boxer Barabanov Levgenii in bout 46 of the tournament.
Silungwe said he was ready to face his opponent as he aims to achieve his dream of becoming a world class boxer.
“Am not scared of anything, it is a dream of every boxer to be among the world class boxers, my target is to reach the finals of the tournament and reap a medal. I just have to apply myself throughout the fight and concentrate on what will make me win the fight,” he said.
Silungwe who was a gold medallist in the 2014 African Youth Games in Zimbabwe will use the experience gained during the Africa Boxing Championships which were held in Congo Brazzaville where he got a Bronze medal to qualify for the World Championships.
In bout 69, Light heavyweight Mbachi Kaonga will trade punches with Italian boxer Manfredonia Valentino late evenings.
Mbachi Kaonga said he would not disappoint the sponsors and the country at large as they had spent a lot of resources on them.
“We are here for business and we shall not be intimidated by anyone, our motto is fight to conquer and achieve our dreams. We shall die a little to make the country proud, to all our fans we shall deliver. The least I expect here is grabbing a medal,” he said.