PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has reaffirmed her dedication to promoting sports in Tanzania following an impressive showcase by local boxers at a boxing event held in Dar es Salaam on Thursday evening.
The event featured participants from the Philippines, Burundi, South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania, with local boxers securing all championship titles, delighting the home crowd.
Although President Samia planned to attend, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa officiated the competition in her stead.
To motivate the athletes, President Samia offered a 10m/- bonus to any local boxer winning by knockout (KO) and 5m/- for victories by points.
She also announced a “Boxing Day” bonus of 1m/- for any Tanzanian who defeated a foreign opponent in non-championship bouts.
She encouraged the boxers to take pride in representing Tanzania and to honour the rules of the sport.
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During her address, President Samia expressed her pride in the event’s symbolism of strength and unity.
She reminded the boxers, “You are fighting for your country as well.” Prime Minister Majaliwa highlighted boxing’s popularity in Tanzania, ranking it the country’s third most-loved sport after football and basketball.
Tanzanian boxers dominated the championships, with Yohana Mchanja in the main card, winning the World Boxing Organisation Global Championship against Miel Farjado from the Philippines. Salmin Kassim secured the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Super Bantamweight title, defeating Adrian Lerassan by unanimous decision.
Ibrahim Mafia claimed the title of the World Boxing Council (WBC) Africa by defeating Lusizo Manzana from South Africa.
Said Chino retained his International Boxing Association (IBA) title against Michael Klassen and Kalolo Amir took the Pugilistic Syndicate of Tanzania (PST) title from Shile Jelwana.
Each champion received a 5m/- bonus from President Samia. The event also included non-title fights, showcasing thrilling moments, including Maisha Samson’s TKO loss to Juma Thabiti and Omari Omari’s defeat by Shauri Athumani.
Notable victories were also recorded by Luqman Kimoko, Ramadhan Ramadhan, Leila Macho, Fadhil Majiha, Abbada Cadabra and Abdulrahman Magoma.
