▪️Five boxers led by Katie Mkandawire are in Lusaka for a three-week training camp which they hope will make a difference in their four-decade wait
June 22, 2026
Malawi’s boxing squad has launched an intensive three-week high-performance training camp in Lusaka, Zambia, to end a 40-year Commonwealth Games medal drought in the ring
The squad of five boxers and two officials arrived in Lusaka on June 19, 2026, travelling by road for almost 18 hours with several stoppages.
They will train through to July 7, 2026, to sharpen their skills ahead of the upcoming Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games from July 23-August 2.
Funded by Malawi Olympic Committee, the delegation is led by Katie Mkandawire doubling as coach and head coach Kassim Makwinja. The five boxers are light-welterweight Elias Bonzo,
Happy Nyuma Ngwira, Ivy Liffa, Alinafe Bonzo and Deborah Mtenje. The officials did not specify weight categories of the other boxers.
Commenting on the team, the Secretary-General of Malawi Boxing Federation Chithambo Drake Edward said Elias Bonzo is the most experienced boxer in the team, participating in the Commonwealth Games for the second time.
“Happy Nyuma Ngwira and Deborah Mtenje are debutants for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, only one female mentioned herein will be going to the Games. A regular and going for the second time to the Games is Elias Bonzo,” Chithambo told boxersworld.co.ke.
Bonzo, the most experienced boxer in the team, will take part in the Commonwealth Games for the second time. He made his debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, losing to John Ume of Papua New Guinea in the round of 32 light-welterweight division.
In addition to Bonzo, the two other Malawian boxers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games were female featherweight Natasha Maya and welterweight Luwis Zakeyu Mbewe who received a bye to the round of 16. He became Malawi’s only winner at the Games, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 points victory over Sierra Leone’s Yusuf Deen Kargbo. The going was rough for Mbewe in the quarter-finals against a more refined Loan Croft of Wales who severely punished the Malawian boxer forcing the referee to stop the fight in the first round.
Natasha Maya was no match against Botswana’s 2019 African Games gold medalist Keamogetse Sadie in the round of 16, losing by a unanimous decision in the featherweight class.
With the three Malawian boxers in Birmingham returning home empty-handed, Malawi had to wait for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games to see whether they will end the 40-year medal drought.
Malawian boxers have not won a medal in the Commonwealth Games since 1986, marking exactly four decades of drought heading into the 2026 Games. Positively, it’s the boxers who have won Malawi’s only medals in the Commonwealth Games.
Lightweight Tatu Chionga won their first Commonwealth Games medal – a bronze – at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Two more bronze medals by lightweight Lyton Mphande and welterweight Solomon Kondowe at the 1986 Commonwealth Games increased their medals tally in boxing to three.
Looking ahead to the Glasgow Games, unless the Malawians are favoured by the draw and lady luck smiles on them, they will be hard pressed to make it to the medals bracket.
Africa won a total of 19 medals at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games with Ghana and Mozambique the top placed African countries at number eight jointly on two silvers and one bronze.
Nigeria was 10th overall 0-1-3, Zambia 11th 0-1-1, Mauritius 12th 0-1-0, Tanzania and South Africa joint 14th 0-0-2, Botswana and Uganda joint 16th 0-0-1.
Northern Ireland were the overall winners 5-1-1 followed by India 3-1-3 and third-placed Scotland 3-0-2.
Namibia’s Jonas Junias Jonas won Africa’s last gold medal in the Commonwealth in Gold Coast, Australia 2018, defeating Canada’s Thomas Blumenfeld in the final.
