Sports Reporter

LEADING female boxer Kudakwashe Chiwandire will be aiming to make history by becoming the first Zimbabwean to become a world champion when she takes on Mexico’s Yemileth Mercado of Mexico for the coveted WBC super-bantamweight gold belt on Saturday.

Chiwandire, who is popularly known as “Take Money” was expected to arrive in Mexico late on Wednesday ahead of the high profile fight which takes place at the Gimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre, an indoor arena in Chihuahua.

The highly rated Zimbabwean boxer’s departure for Mexico was delayed by her opponent’s camp which took a long time to release documents that were needed to process the visa.

Although Chiwandire will not have much time to acclimatise in Mexico ahead of the fight she said she is looking forward to the challenge.

“My focus is on the fight. I’ve worked hard to be where I am and I’ll not be easily distracted. I think the stopovers we’ve had in South Africa and France have given me time to relax a little bit,” said Chiwandire.

“I know the fight will be difficult, but I’ve got some tricks under my sleeve. I’ve watched her games, analysed them and I know what’s required of me to win the games. What I know is that she won’t last 10 rounds,” she added.

Take Money retained her WBC interim super bantamweight silver title after a unanimous points decision win over Mexico’s Zulina Munoz at the Harare International Conference (HICC) last October.

The victory took Chiwandire one step closer towards challenging for the WBC super-bantamweight gold title, which is in the hands of Yamileth Mercado, also of Mexico.

Mercado defeated fellow Mexican, the veteran Marian Juarez to retain her title, but now faces the prospect of losing it to Chivandire, who is relishing the opportunity of showcasing her talent at the sport’s biggest stage.

Winning against Munoz lifted Chiwandire’s ratings to sixth out of 168 while her Mexican opponent is ranked second in the world.