Malawi: Youth Boxing Promotion has revealed its plans to build a boxing ring with the budget of approximately MK8 million. They have been hiring boxing rings for all of their previous arranged fights and matches.
These hired rings have been costing them a significant amount of money. As such, the organization has announced that they will be constructing their own ring.
Salimu Chazama has revealed that most of the organization’s budget goes towards renting the ring. The Senior Executive Officer of Youth Boxing Promotion said that they are not able to pay for the boxers from the remaining amount. The leader also noted that they are facing losses
The cheapest ring in Malawi costs approximately MK300,000. However, this number does not align with the budget allocated for boxing. He has noted that the boxing industry in Malawi is facing struggles with insufficient funding.
This is a major issue when it is seen in comparison with other sports played in Malawi.
The organization said that they are spending more money hiring rings instead of rewarding our boxers. For example, a boxer only receives MK200,000 after a fight, while the ring owners take a much larger share,”
According to Chazama, Youth Boxing Promotion is not only paying MK300,000 to borrow a ring but also incurring additional costs, such as transport fees for the ring and the services of technicians to set it up.
Chazama called asked for support towards Youth Boxing Promotion in funding the construction. They are planning to build a 6×6 boxing ring, for MK 8 Million.
Youth Boxing Promotion has been arranging monthly fights to promote youth boxing in Malawi. Their consistency in organizing these matches makes it challenging to rent a boxing ring for every event.
Currently, the company borrows boxing rings from the Malawi Boxing Association.
Wilson “Shasha” Masamba has supported the initiative. He said that Malawi has a short supply of boxing rings and none of these rings meet international standards. He hoped that the planned innovation would help expand boxing activities in Malawi.
“It’s concerning that we are still using amateur rings and have very few in the country, even though we host big fights and invite international boxers. Building professional rings is essential for the growth of boxing in Malawi,” he said.
Masamba praised Youth Boxing Promotion for its efforts to uplift the boxing industry in Malawi. He noted that boxers are often underpaid because the majority of funds are directed towards ring rentals.
The boxer said that Malawi needs to build more rings to support Malawian boxers as they need to be better prepared when called to participate in international fights.