Boxing fans in Zanzibar will finally be able to watch their first fight in almost sixty years on Sunday, as the ban on boxing has been lifted.
The 1960s ban happened after the island’s first President Abedi Amani Karume came to power and he mentioned cultural reasons for the ban.
The event supports President Hussein Mwinyi‘s efforts to boost tourism and enhance sports development.
In a special fight, Zanzibar’s Hamis Muay Thai will compete against Ibrahim Mjender for eight rounds. This fight is significant but does not involve any championship titles.
Hamis Muay Thai, who had a lot of success as a kick boxer, is starting his boxing career by having his first match in the ring.
Another boy named Musa Nassor, also known as “Banja,” is also scheduled to perform. He will fight Dullah Mbabe from the mainland, while Karim Mandonga, a popular Tanzanian boxer, will fight Osman Muller Junior from Zanzibar in another match.
There will be a total of eight boxing fights.
In 1964, the Sultan of Zanzibar and his Arab government were overthrown during a revolution. Some people who were close to President Karume at that time say that he believed boxing was cruel and thought only animals fought.
The ban did not impact mainland Tanzania.
Tanganyika and Zanzibar came together in April 1964 to create what we now know as the United Republic of Tanzania.
The findings from a six-month study in 2021 showed that a little more than 60% of the people in Zanzibar supported bringing back boxing.
Zanzibar wants to welcome more people from different countries to come and visit or invest in their place. The current President Mwinyi’s Blue Economy policy focuses on promoting tourism and sports.
Natasha Jones, a female boxer from Britain, was recently made an honorary ambassador for Zanzibar in sport tourism.
Jones, the champion boxer, said that he feels very proud and will try his hardest to do a good job representing the people of Zanzibar. He also wants to highlight and support all the great things that they already have.
All the boxers have received their fee for participating in the event, even though there won’t be any money given as a prize.
The important event will happen at the Mao Tse Tung Stadium on Sunday and will be shown on TV.
Halka Ahmed, a young person who creates content, stated that he is very happy and enthusiastic.
“This will be great for my friends who are young and really want to become professional boxers in Zanzibar. ”
A lot of people in Zanzibar are excited about the return of boxing.
“This is a groundbreaking action,” expressed Sandaland Omari, a store owner specializing in sports merchandise.