BY HENRY MHARA

BOXING superstar Charles Manyuchi returns to the ring in April to fight Muhamad Sebyala in a World Africa Boxing Association (Waba) lightweight championship bout at the Harare City Sports Centre.

The fight against the Ugandan would be Manyuchi’s first this year, and he will be returning to action since he beat Argentine fighter Diego Diaz Gallardo via a third-round technical knockout at the Harare International Conference Centre in September last year to land the World Boxing Federation (WBF) world middleweight title.

Since then, he has been inactive with a proposed fight against former national lightweight and middleweight champion Mordecai Donga which had been scheduled for late December last year, cancelled at the last minute.

Manyuchi’s contest against Seybala set for April 3 was announced by Waba president Onesmo McBride.

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“Waba has given tentative sanction approval for the vacant Waba lightweight championship fight between Charles Manyuchi vs Mohamad Sebyala,” McBride said.

Dubbed the Duel of the Doom, the lightweight championship fight will headline a bout card which contains tantalising fights including a duel between local rising star Hassan “Starboy” Milanzi against Obert Makaika.

Celebrated Zambian women boxer Lorita Muzeya will face off with Lukia Ali of Malawi.

The Waba lightweight All-Africa lightweight belt will also be on the line with Evans Husavihwevhu, under Charles Manyuchi Boxing Academy, fighting with a yet to be identified opponent, for the title.

“We expect Evans to fight an opponent with a good record who is going to be approved by Waba,” McBride said.

The organisers are still putting up names for the undercard, but it is the main bout between Manyuchi and Seybala which will obviously attract more attention.

Host Manyuchi will start the fight as the firm favourite due to his impressive home form.

In the only four defeats of his largely imposing career, the former WBC welterweight silver champion has been defeated in Zimbabwe just once. That was way back in 2009 when he lost to Donga, in his only third career fight.

Since then, he has been on a roll, winning all the fights in Zimbabwe and Zambia, a country he has adopted as his second home.

The 24 wins (15 knockouts) that he has recorded, have also been achieved in fights fought around the world, including in Italy, Russia, Burkina Faso and the normally volatile Namibia. Manyuchi has drawn just once.

In contrast, Seybala’s record outside Uganda is awful. His record stands at 19 wins, 13 defeats and one draw. What is striking is that all the 13 defeats were fights outside Kampala. He is going into the match on the back of two defeats in Dubai and India which he fought last year.