Carlos Kambaekwa
28 August 2008
Windhoek — Namibia's WBA Pan-African and Inter Continental Lightweight champion Paulus "the Hitman' Moses will become the first Namibian boxer to ever fight against five different opponents in one single file.
The 29-year-old boxer is the mandatory challenger for the WBA Lightweight World crown and is expected to climb into the ring against the current champion Yusuke Kobori of Japan on the 28th of October, at a yet to be confirmed venue in Japan later this year.
Moses has been itching for action after he waved his right to fight former WBA Lightweight champion Jose Alfaro when his promoter and manager Nestor Tobias accepted an undisclosed step aside fee - paving the way for Kobori to wrestle the title away from the Nicaraguan boxer in only his first title defence.
Tobias says inadequate funding on the local market is depriving his boxer from fighting against decent opponents to stay afresh for his much anticipated world title fight against the Japanese champion.
"It's extremely difficult to get world-class boxers to come and fight here in Namibia because of the astronomical appearance fees they demand and we cannot just sit arms folded and wait for manna to fall from heaven. We need to organize competitive fights for our boxers to stay in good shape ahead of big fights."
Hitman has been scheduled to spar against five different boxers who are all heavier than him including three current champions in a split 12-round bout at the Windhoek Country Club Resort & Casino on the 12th of next month.
He will be sparring against fellow stable mate Daniel Kasheta in a two-round bout before taking on Jatoorora "the Sting" Tjingaveta in another two rounder.
Hitman's courageous effort will also see him trading blows with current WBA Pan-African Welterweight champion and namesake Paulus "Ali" Nuumbembe and will immediately return to the ring for a confrontation with South African boxer and WBA Pan-African Junior welterweight champion Kaizer Mabuza. Both bouts are penciled to last three rounds.
His last opponent is none other than prodigal son Bethuel "Tyson" Uushona, who makes a welcome return to the ring after an absence of many years following his exit from the Nestor Sunshine Tobias Boxing & Fitness Academy. The current national welterweight champion has since rejoined his former mentor and is eager to make up for some lost time.
He faces a fire of baptism when he squares up against the Hitman in a two-round sparring session for his first competitive fight after his self-imposed exile from the boxing ring.
Namibia's Super Middleweight boxer Willbeforce Shihepo will be back in action in a six-round bout against a yet to be named opponent from Zimbabwe. "We received two names from Zimbabwe and we are just going through the verification process of their records before we decide on the suitable candidate for Shihepo."
Teofelus Jatileni will be in action against compatriot Sacky Shikukutu in a four-round Catch-weight division in one of three all Namibian bouts that also sees Martin Haikali taking on Albino Felesianu in a four-round Lightweight bout.
The main bout preceding the Hitman's sparring session will be the 10-round bout for the vacant National Flyweight title between Abmerk Shidjuu and Simon Negodhi.
In the meantime, Namibia's bantamweight boxer Paulus "the Rock" Ambunda has received a tempting invitation to fight for a non-title bout against a yet to be named opponent from South Africa in Johannesburg on the 26th of next month.
The Nestor "Sunshine" Tobias Boxing & Fitness Academy has reached another milestone after former amateur female boxer Magulukeni Hamata joined the stable to try her hand in the rough and tough rigours of professional boxing.
The 29-year old Welterweight stocky boxer is a seasoned campaigner and boasts seven years of experience in the amateur ranks that saw her winning all her 15 fights under her belt with knockouts until she ran out of decent opponents in the amateur setup.
Tobias says his stable has big plans for the ambitious Hamata but declined to reveal the details, at least for the time being.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Era. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
