Zambian boxers eye world titles

Lusaka: After getting the African Boxing Union (ABU) titles over the weekend, two Zambian boxers have set their sights on winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) belts.

Catherine Phiri, who Saturday night pummeled Uganda`s Toma Hawa-Babirye in eight rounds to claim the ABU women`s bantamweight title, and Zimbabwean-born Charles Manyuchi, who knocked out Ghana`s Isaac Sowah in the third round to defend the ABU men`s welterweight title, said Monday their targets were now to go for the WBC belts. Twenty-year-old Zambian female pugilist Phiri said she now felt ready to fight for the WBC bantamweight title currently held by Susie Ramadan of Australia. "I feel great. I am happy with the way I fought. I have been maturing with every training session and now I feel that I can go for the WBC title. I will concentrate on one thing and that is training harder and my handlers will handle my WBC aspirations," she said. The 23-year-old Zimbabwean-born Manyuchi, who now fights under the Zambian boxing stable, said after Saturday`s win he was ready to go beyond the African continent and conquer the world. IANS