Open Boxing Club Championship climaxes in Dar es Salaam

Tanzania Open Boxing Federation (OBFT) secretary-general Lukelo Wililo said Temeke District Commissioner Jokate Mwegelo was set to close the championship.

He described this year's National Open Boxing Club Championship as very entertaining and competitive.

Wililo said the competition is between MMJKT Club, Ngome Club, and Yombayomba Boxing Club.

“The National Open Boxing Club Championship ends and we expect Temeke District Commissioner to close the championship, we are delighted that the competition was very good and tough,” he said.

The National Open Boxing Club Championship involved JKT Mgulani, MMJKT, JKT Mbweni, Ngome JWTZ, Band Coy, Iringa Boxing Club, Mwanza Boxing Club, Morogoro Boxing Club, Singida Boxing Club, Arusha Boxing Club, Black Eagle and Magereza.

Tanzanite Manyara Club was the tournament's defending champion but failed to compete at this year's event.

Wililo said four best performing boxers will be  selected to represent the country at International Boxing Association (AIBA) World Championship.

Alex Isendi and Yusuph Changarawe are two local boxers, who qualified for the AIBA Championship of Boxing for Men slated for October 26 to November 6 in Belgrade, Serbia.

OBFT had failed to send boxers to the past AIBA World Championship editions due to financial constraints the federation experienced.

Wililo said this time he is confident that the boxers will travel to the event as the government announced its commitment to promoting sports .

"We really thank the government for its commitment to see that sports is developing in the country and also its commitment that it will fund national teams foreign assignments.''

''We know we will benefit from this funding and the other good thing is that boxing is among the five sporting disciplines which the government will support in its first phase of sports development initiative," he said .

AIBA World Championship last took place in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019 but domestic pugilists could not take part in the showdown.

Selemani Kidunda is the last boxer to have represented the country at the AIBA World Boxing Championships, he competed at the 2013 event in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Serbia event will be overseen by Serbia’s President, Alexander Vucic, who heads the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).

AIBA president Omar Kremlev is reported to have said the AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships will show determination to provide boxers around the world a platform to achieve their full potential.

“We are confident that the tournament will be conducted safely in view of the successful implementation of COVID-19 countermeasures throughout the year,” he said.