Double blow for Biningu as he loses WBO contest an...

Double blow for Biningu as he loses WBO contest and is stripped of WBF strap

Gilbert Munetsi

World Boxing Federation inter-continental champion Tatenda Biningu has been stripped of his title for having participated under the banner of a rival sanctioning body, the World Boxing Organisation, when he took part in a title contest without the consent of the former.

The news was broken Monday by WBF president Howard Goldberg who had no kind words for the stance taken by the boxer which he crudely described as 'idiotic.'

Last Saturday night Biningu, who fights under the Charles Manyuchi stable, participated in a WBO Africa championship fight in Windhoek against Namibian Mateus "The Beast" Heita and retired at the end of Round 4.

While it is not a crime for boxers to cross the floor and fight for titles outside of those they already hold - at times even unifying them - it is the lack of courtesy to inform WBF that riled Goldberg.

"Whats so unfortunate about it all is the fact that he and his team never saw the need to seek permission (to fight for the WBO) as a gesture of courtesy, of respect.

"So I have no more time for him, he has made a choice...it was a bad choice anyway that has now cost him his career.

"The expectation is basic that if aboxer is a WBF champion and wishes to fight for another sanctioning body, they need to contact the WBF and seek permission first. If that boxer goes on to fight and wins, then they still keep their WBF title, but if they lose by knockout, their title automatically becomes vacant.

"So his (Biningu) first mistake was to not seek authority and the second was getting beaten by KO, hence we reserve the right to vacate his title with immediate effect," said Howard.

He said he got to know about the developments through a third party as he was away in Europe on boxing business which included promoting boxers such as Biningu and brand Zimbabwe.

"I was actually in France and Germany meeting with the executive director of WBF and committee members to discuss our 2025 Convention which will be held in Bosnia. During that working visit, I was also busy incorporating different fight cards around the world and one such was for Biningu to fight for the world super-featherweight championship that would also give Zimbabwe some exposure.

"But given the recent developments, thats now something thats out of the window. A big opportunity for both boxer and country has gone down the drain," he said.

Efforts to get a comment from Biningu and his handlers were futile as they were said to be locked in a meeting.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee has officially announced the suspension, for two years, of former African Boxing Union lightweight champion Aliyah Phiri for violating anti-doping rules.

The sentence has however been reduced by a year after the boxer was seen to have acknowledged the consequences of his actions. Despite the measure of leniency, all results in the ring posted from March 2024 will be disqualified, a development that automatically led to his ommission in the recent ABU ratings. He will be back in action on March 21, 2025.

"Boxer Issa Aliyah Phiri has been sanctioned following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) after testing positive for Furosemide, a nti-Doping Agency 2024 Prohibited List. This violation occured during a tournament where Aliya was subjected to standard doping controls," ZOC said in a communique.

Furosemide, a diuretic, is prohibited at all times due to its potential to enhance performance and its use as a masking agent for other banned substances.