THE much awaited World Boxing Council welterweight silver championship fight featuring Zimbabwean boxing star Charles Manyuchi, on home soil for the first time is his career, has been reduced to a non title match.

Manyuchi will fight Jose Agustin Feria of Colombia in an 8-round bout at the Harare International Conference Centre on October 14.

There has been speculation surrounding Manyuchi’s upcoming fight but it is now official, the match is no longer a world title bout.

“I can confirm that Charles Manyuchi will fight Jose Agustin Feria, a boxer from Colombia whose record is 21-3-1.

“That fight with Manyuchi, the WBC welterweight silver champion, will be a non title fight of 8 rounds.

“The reason we have accepted to make it happen is because it is in the interest of the Zimbabwean people.

“They want to see Charles (Manyuchi) fight at home,” revealed Chris Malunga, Manyuchi’s manager at a press briefing held at the Ministry of Sport and Recreation offices Wednesday morning.

The initial challenger for Manyuchi’s WBC belt, Damien Martin of France, reportedly pulled out due to “reasons best known to his camp.”

“The fight with Martin had been processed, all the paper work done with the World Boxing Council but along the way Damien Martin pulled out.

“I can confirm that Damien Martin pulled out for reasons best known to himself,” said Malunga.

“We had a plan B; we know that the interests of Zimbabwean boxing fans is to see Charles Manyuchi in action.

“The tournament itself remains a WBC event because we still have a WBC title fight featuring a female boxer from Zambia.”
 
A total of eight bouts are on the cards, six of them involving Zimbabweans, have been lined up for the boxing night which will be staged at the HICC on October 14.