Boxers need international exposure -Mwamba

MICHAEL MIYOBA writes@SunZambianEXODUS Boxing Academy manager Antony Mwamba has called on Government through the Ministry of Sports to help the Tokyo-bound boxers prepare adequately for the Olympic Games.Featherweight Evaristo Mulenga, Welterweight Steven Zimba and Flyweight Patrick Chinyemba are scheduled to represent Zambia at the Olympics after qualifying during the 2020 African Boxing Olympic qualifiers held in Senegal.Mwamba said in an interview the three boxers require international exposure to increase their chances of winning medals at the Olympic Games.Mwamba, who competed in the light welterweight category at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, said the boxers need to compete in in-ternational tournaments before going to Japan where they will face tough opponents.“We have the training camps where they can send the team for training in Algeria, Morocco and France for exposure if we are to reap medals at the Olympics.“When l reached the quarter finals in South Korea, we were exposed internationally, we went to Germany for the TSC tournament twice, we went to Cu-ba Gordova a Gadine tournament, we went to Mozambique for an international tournament, we went to Kenya also for another tournament just to prepare for the Olympics,” Mwamba said“If we are to reap medals at the Olympics we have to expose our boxers to international boxing standards not local,” he said.Meanwhile, Mwamba has urged the Zambia Boxing Federation not to emulate countries that are not doing enough to prepare their boxers for the Olym-pic Games.Mwamba said Government has to come in and help the boxers prepare like the women’s football which travelled to Chile as they prepare for the Japan Olympics.