Corry Ihuhua
8 July 2009
NAMIBIA'S champion boxer Paulus 'The Hitman' Moses will finally get a chance to consolidate his status as the best lightweight boxer in the world, when he is set to defend his title against Japan's Takahiro Shimada in Windhoek on July 25.
Moses, who currently holds the World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight world title, will meet the more experienced Japanese boxer in his first title defence after he won the title in Japan earlier this year.
Moses won the title against another Japanese fighter, Yusuke Kobori. This time around, Moses faces an epic challenge as his opponent boasts 23 wins from 28 fights, with only four losses and one draw.
Moses has a terrific record of 24 fights with no loss and aims to extend the record against the relatively adept Japanese fighter. Moses rapidly went through the amateur ranks under the guidance of his trainer and promoter Nestor Tobias, and when he hit the pro-ranks, he never looked back.
He is currently Namibia and Africa's most prolific lightweight boxer and the best pound by pound WBA fighter in the world in his weight category. His opponent in ranked 13th in the world and with Moses having the home turf advantage, the visitor has to work extra hard to land the sought-after title.
NO TALKING
Yesterday, Moses said he was not interested in debates and endless talks, but wants to do the job in the ring as he has been waiting for it for far too long.
"I have been training extremely hard since I won the world title in January this year. I have been in the gym and have been working hard. I am 100 percent prepared for the 12 rounds, but if I give him a knock-out, it will be my bonus," he said.
His trainer and leading Namibian boxing promoter, Nestor Tobias, when asked what if Moses loses the fight, said: "We don't want to talk about losing now because it is not going to happen."
He said that it would be difficult for Moses to challenge the world title again if he loses, which in his view should not even be an option. "We have set ourselves a clear goal and that is of winning at all costs. No matter what. We have a winning mentality and as a boxer, Hitman cannot think about losing. We have been working hard for this and we are still doing that until the day we retain the title," said Tobias, who is also a former boxer.
Acting chairman of the Namibia Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, Ellison Hijarunguru, announced that the fight which is possibly the biggest ever in Namibia to date, will be held at the Windhoek Country Club. On the finances raised for the event, Hijarunguru said the fight has the support of Government, but the involvement of the private sector will also make it a reality.
He said they could not reveal how much has been raised for the fight so far, but was certain that it will take place as scheduled. He said the fight will be held at the parking lot of the hotel and at least 3 000 people will be catered for. Tickets of which cost N$150, will go on sale later this week. The fight has been sanctioned by the board and WBA, while it is promoted by the Nestor Sunshine Boxing and Fitness Academy.
World-renowned boxing promoter Don King might also come for the fight, but Tobias said it is a costly exercise.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Namibian. 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.
