Former professional boxer Muhambi dies

Audrey Galawu

Elson Muhambi, a former professional boxer with Mau Mau Boxing has died. He was 51.

His brother, Sensei Mugove Muhambi, confirmed his sibling’s demise and said his body, which lay in state at his Domboramwari, Epworth, home Friday, will be laid to rest at Zinyengere cemetery in the suburb Saturday afternoon.

The late Muhambi is also a former councillor of the Epworth Local Board in which he served for a term.

At the time of his death, he worked as a freelance body guard, having at one time entered into a contract with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority to escort VIPs who visited the country at the invitation of the tourism body.

Born in a family of seven, in which all the five boys were sports enthusiasts, Muhambi’s love for boxing emanated from his staying in a township where the open ring (commonly known as “wafa wafa”) was a favourite pastime, mainly for the young.

He graduated into the professional ranks with a debut contest against Isaac Phonkeni at theZambezi Valley Hotel in Kariba in November 2006.

From there, he never looked back. And during his prime, he fought in the lightweight division and even undertook assignments outside the country’s borders.

In November 2007, for instance, Muhambi engaged in his second fight as a pro against a highly-rated Jason Naule at the Trade Fair Centre in Ongwediva, losing the match by way of technical knockout.

His former manager, Stalin Mau Mau, described Muhambi’s death as a great loss for the sport, despite his having retired from it.

“He was a boxer under my stable and I have always known him as a humble young man with a high level of entrepreneurship who worked hard for his life. He was a very disciplined young man and respectful.

“Honestly, I’m speechless, I don’t know what happened, but we will definitely miss him in the boxing fraternity. He retired long time ago, but he remained very active in the boxing community. We will miss him very much. May his soul rest in peace,” Mau Mau said.

A passionate athlete who craved to see sport develop in his community, Muhambi once told the media during the annual Mwalimu Kumbula Soccer Tournament finals at Kubatana Primary School:

“There are a lot of talented athletes here in Epworth who take part in different sporting disciplines such as athletics, football, taekwondo, boxing, judo, karate, bodybuilding and netball, but what they lack is the much-needed exposure which could see them being named in the national teams and go on to represent Zimbabwe at major international events.

“In fact, we had a number of fighters from Epworth who took part in the South Korea Ambassador’s Taekwondo Championships at the University of Zimbabwe and they won some medals and this means a lot for us here. As the leadership, we ought to keep identifying and nurturing this talent to ensure the young boys and girls can make a living from sport.”

Sensei Mugove Muhambi, a higly-rated karateka in his own right, said as a family, they had been left a lot poorer by the passing on of Elson who is survived by two wives and several children.