Zarika's WBC title match moved to August 4

Kenya’s World Boxing Council (WBC) female super bantamweight world champion, Fatuma Zarika, is set to defend her title against Jamaican-American Alice Ashley on August 4, 2017.

The bout had initially been set for July 15 before the change.

Zarika’s Kenyan coach, Omar Mohamed Kasongo, on Thursday said that the fight will be promoted by Luigi Olcese, who also happens to be Ashley’s promoter. Kasongo said that she was living with her promoter, E.J. Mathews in Las Vegas, USA.

Zarika, who is sponsored by SportPesa, clinched her title last October 1, in Michigan, USA, when she dethroned Ashley on a split point decision.

Ashley was supposed to get a rematch in 90 days. She was quoted by Jamaican publication, Observe on May 1, 2017 saying that she had a title rematch at the end of June and wanted to win back her title at home in Jamaica.

She said that venues had been discussed in Florida and New York but she had never fought in Jamaica and would love the chance to fight there.

As for Zarika, the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission (KPBC) secretary, Franklin Imbenzi had indicated that they were pushing for the fight to be staged in Nairobi.

Even though Kasongo had no preference on where the fight would take place, his main concern was on Zarika’s purse.

He said: “I would have preferred for Zarika to train for the defense of her title here at home. I have feelings that her promoter, who is also her manager as the fight will be promoted by someone else, will recover his expenses for hosting Zarika from her purse.”

“She was not paid a penny from the title fight by her promoter whom she did not even know. I have confidence that she will be paid this time round but she could end up getting very little if the manager recovers his expenses for training and her upkeep.”

As a challenger of the world title, Zarika’s purse was Sh360,500. She is supposed to be paid more as a defender.