By Flora Mkoloma
The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, has vowed to continue supporting boxing and other sports as a means of creating various opportunities.
This promise was made during a phone call from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts, and Sports, Gerson Msigwa, following the conclusion of the Boxing Day event held on December 26, 2024, in Muleba, Kagera Region.
In her message, President Samia congratulated the boxers and awarded the "Boxing on Boxing Day" prize, giving one million Tanzanian shillings to each victorious boxer.
In response, boxers Karim Mandonga, Said Mbelwa, and Dullah Mbabe expressed their sincere gratitude to the President for the prize, emphasizing the importance of recognizing boxing as a way to contribute to the national economy and create job opportunities for Tanzanian youth.
The winners of the matches included Amiri Matumla, who defeated Anuari Mlawa by points; Regan Pacho from Congo, who won against Ayubu Mwankina from Morogoro by points; Osama Arabi from Mtwara, who triumphed over Abdallah Ponda from Tabata; and Badru Ibrahim from Bukoba, who beat Rashid Kassim from Mwanza by points.
Other winners were Ramadhan Mkwakwate from Dar es Salaam, who defeated Smusene Philly from Uganda by points, and on the women's side, Hidaya Zahoro, who emerged victorious against Tko Salima Changalawe from Mwanza.