PROFESSIONAL boxing is set to return to Harare for the first time this year with the staging of the Gilbert Josamu Memorial Tournament next month.

The tournament, which is being organised by the Black Fist Promotions, has been slated for February 11 at the Harare International Conference Centre and will be held in remembrance of the late former national middleweight champion Gilbert "Giro" Josamu.

Josamu, a colourful and charismatic boxer, died on June 23, 2001, at his family home in Harare's high-density suburb of Mbare after succumbing to Aids-related complications.

In fact, Josamu, who was 44 at the time of his death, was one of the first sports personalities in this country to go public about his HIV/Aids status.

In November 2000, Josamu stunned the local boxing world when he revealed that he had fought many fights with forged medical reports.

He had tested HIV positive in July 1986.

But Josamu later succumbed to AIDS on June 23, 2001 when he collapsed and died at his family home in Mbare with a career record of 36-31-5.

Josamu is also credited with grooming Zvenyika "Mosquito" Arifonso, who hailed from the same suburb of Mbare and went on to become a two-time Commonwealth flyweight champion.

And Josamu's young brother, Abel, who is now a boxing promoter and matchmaker under Black Fist Promotions, said yesterday said that they were going to stage a memorial tournament for the late former national middleweight champion next month.

"Gilbert Josamu was one of the most talented fighters to emerge from this country after Independence, there's no doubt about it, and we saw it fit to stage a memorial tournament for him.

"We have proposed February 11 as the date for this tournament which is likely to be staged at the HICC and we are going to have a six-bout bill and a fashion show on that day," Abel said.

The main bout on this bill would be a 12-round national lightweight title fight between Misheck Kondwane and Dumezile Mtulike.

In other fights lined-up for that day, Tawanda Kachigwada will take on Trymore Musira in a super-featherweight eight-round non-title bout while Bensterin Mateu will trade leather with Batanai Ruwizhu in a six-round super-bantamweight contest.The Mateu-Ruwizhu fight is also a non-title bout.

Three other non-title fights have been pencilled in for the February 11 bill and they will see Tinashe Mwadziwana taking on Lovewell Maphosa (bantamweight), Silas Mandeya coming up against Martin Tshuma (junior welterweight) and Ronnie Tamani facing Lynos Murabwa (featherweight).All these three bouts will be over six rounds.

 "In fact, we are going to have three boxers from Bulawayo who are going to feature on this bill and I think their presence is going to make it a very exciting tournament," Abel said.

He also said that the staging of the Gilbert Josamu Memorial Tournament was also part of their efforts to revive professional boxing in this country.

"If I can remember very well, we only had one professional boxing bill last year and this is not good for the sport in this country.

"That's why we've come up with this idea of first staging the Gilbert Josamu Memorial Tournament in Harare next month before holding another one for the late former All-Africa and national heavyweight champion Proud ‘Kilimanjaro' Chinembiri.

"If sponsors and the corporate world comes on board and we successfully stage the Gilbert Josamu Memorial Tournament in Harare next month, we would also like to stage a similar bill for ‘Kilimanjaro' in Mutare.

"At the moment we've come up with a budget of about US$10 000 which will help us to cater for, among other things, the boxers' purse, tournament fee, ring doctor's fee and the hiring of the tournament's venue," Abel said.

Black Fist Promotions secretary-general, Chris Gaska, and chairman, Napal "Nhapara" Mandiwa, said they were also looking at staging another professional boxing tournament in Kariba during the course of the year.

"We've already spoken to Kilimanjaro's elder brother Punish and he is totally behind the idea of staging a memorial tournament for the late ‘Man Mountain' in Mutare," Gaska said.

Mandiwa added that they have also approached the local professional boxing authorities who have indicated that they "have no qualms with us staging these tournaments".