Boxer’s middleweight showdown

Uzziah Chazanga participated in the pro exhibition tournament on Saturday, April 5, in Free State to defend his title in the middleweight division.

The talented athlete has proven himself to be an upcoming sensation by having an exceptional winning streak in previous matches and tournaments.

According to his head coach Jesse Smith, the goal was for Uzziah to test his resilience, skills and intelligence quotient against a very tough and experienced boxer.

“This is a big step for Uzziah because we do not fight in the middleweight division, as we compete in two divisions under that, in the welterweight division. A step up in competition and fighting different styles puts us in a very strong position for our end goal of going professional this year.

“As a coach, I put Uzziah in these tough and challenging situations, as boxing is not only a physically demanding sport but also a very demanding mental sport. Both physical and mental strength go hand in hand to achieve and get to the highest level in this unforgiving sport,” Jesse said.

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Uzziah brought his A-game, securing a unanimous points decision, making him one of the youngest middleweight division champions. Excited as he was, Uzziah shared that he was feeling confident going inside the ring because it allowed him to showcase his abilities as a rookie.

“When I was in the ring, it was an amazing experience because my competitor was determined to win, making it a fun challenge for me to deliver the same force. What I mostly enjoyed was competing against someone outside the province on their home ground with a home ground advantage and having all the fans chanting his name.

“This competition drove me to leave everything in the ring and try to pull off a big upset, which I was able to do, and I am very pleased and proud of myself for doing that, but we don’t celebrate too much; we have a lot of work to do and goals to achieve,” Uzziah said.