BOXING legend Anthony Mwamba’s sister Charity gave a moving interview detailing the last moments of the former pugilist before he died at Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.

The sports fraternity in the country was yesterday greeted to shock news of Mwamba’s demise with a host of people paying their tributes.

Charity said Mwamba died upon arrival at Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital.

“Yesterday [Wednesday] he was rushed to the clinic after complaining that he is not feeling well, at the clinic they did some tests where they checked for malaria but it was not detected. In the morning, around 05; 00hrs, he called me saying ‘amaka yapwa [I am feeling weak]’ that is when I told the son that let us rush him to the hospital,” said Charity.

“When they reached the hospital, just when he was stepping off the car, he again said amaka yapwa, the time his pulse was being checked, we were told he is no more.”

Mwamba is a respected figure in boxing circles having excelled as a boxer, coach and promoter.

He represented the country at various international competitions among them the 1988 Summer Olympics Seoul, South Korea where he fought in the welterweight reaching the quarter finals.

He won a bronze medal in the welterweight (67 kg) division at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Auckland, New Zealand.

In 1991, Mwamba turned professional ending 17 years of being in the unpaid ranks where he had boxed for the Green Buffaloes Amateur Boxing Club.

After his impressive boxing career, he ventured into boxing promotions/coaching and started the Exodus Stables Boxing club in 2003 where he worked with various young promising talents and helped them excel to their fullest potential.

It has to be noted that one of the Zambian Boxers Patrick Chiyemba who has qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games comes from the Exodus Boxing Stables.

Mwamba, who died at 60, is also credited for having pioneered women’s boxing when he brought to light Zambian boxing queen Esther Phiri who took the sport by storm.

National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) president Alfred Foloko described Mwamba’s demise as a loss to the sports family.