•Kenya, Somalia, Cameroon, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Equatorial Guinea had already committed to wrestling for honours at the event along with the host nation.
•The premier global boxing bonanza will roar into life in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from April 30 to May 14.
Image: HANDOUT
Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa has poked a hole in Tanzania's decision to postpone the eagerly anticipated Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championships to August.
The yearly regional showcase was originally scheduled to take place this week in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania.
Kenya, Somalia, Cameroon, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Equatorial Guinea had already committed to wrestling for honours at the event along with the host nation.
"Tanzania Boxing Federation communicated the decision, stating that they were unable to host the tournament due to a busy schedule and some financial issues," Musa said.
"Given that we had meticulously prepared our boxers to honour the fixture in Dar from this week, the decision caught us off guard," he continued.
Musa reaffirmed that despite the hiccup, they would continue their training camp at the Mathare Depot in Nairobi with sights firmly set on the upcoming IBA World Boxing Championships.
"All of our plans have fallen apart because we had hoped to use the Tanzanian tournament to get ready for the upcoming men's IBA World Boxing Championships," Musa stated.
The premier global boxing bonanza will roar into life in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from April 30 to May 14.
Pugilists from all five continents will compete for medals in 13 weight categories approved by the IBA in July 2021.
Musa confirmed the eight female boxers who were supposed to travel to Dar with the men's team will remain in camp.
"That does not imply that the women are being sent home. We plan to keep them in camp so that the men can assist in refining them further before the upcoming competitions, "Musa stated.
He added that they intend to field boxers in each of the competition's 13 divisions.
"If we can get enough money from the government, we intend to go with the whole team. We are pacing up and down to make sure that all of the boxers in camp manage to secure a seat on the plane to Uzbekistan, " Musa said.
The gaffer disclosed plans to arrange several friendly matches with local teams to spruce up the Uzbekistan-bound contingent.
"When Tanzania informed us that the Africa Zone 3 Championships had been postponed, we asked them to permit us to visit for friendlies. However, they declined our request "said Musa.
"It now means that we have to turn to local teams for friendly matches, which is what we did on Monday when we invited the Nairobi County boxing team to Mathare Depot where they sparred with Hit Squad members for the entire day," Musa said.
The Nairobi county team is warming up for an international friendly match against a team from Uganda in an invitational tournament.