ONE of Namibia's top boxing prospects Fillipus 'Energy' Nghitumbwa faces a tough challenge when he takes on the unbeaten Australian, Luke Boyd next month, with three titles on the line.
It will be Nghitumbwa's first fight abroad, with the showdown due to take place at the Kevin Betts Stadium in Sydney, Australia on 15 March, while Boyd's WBA Oceania super bantamweight title and Nghitumbwa's WBO Global title, as well as the vacant IBF Intercontinental title will be on the line.
The 35-year-old Boyd has built up an impressive record as a knockout specialist since turning professional in 2014. He has not been too active, but has won all ten his fights to date via knockout, with seven of those victories coming in the first round. In fact, the furthest that he has gone was when he won the Australian super bantamweight title with a sixth round knockout over Robert Trigg in 2017.
In his last fight in June last year he won the WBA Oceania super bantamweight title with a fourth round KO of Shamal Ram Anuj.
Nghitumbwa, however, also has an impressive knockout record, with 11 of his 12 victories coming via KO.
He has only lost once - in his debut in 2017 against Namibia's former IBO international bantamweight champion, Jonas Matheus, but since then has gone on a 12-fight unbeaten streak, with only one fight going the distance.
He won the WBO global super bantamweight title with a sixth round knockout of South Africa's Innocent Matengu in 2021, and has since successfully defended the title twice.
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"This will definitely be a fight that the world will not want to miss with Energy winning 11 of his 13 fights by knockout and Boyd flaunting his own impressive record of 10 fights and 10 KO's, making this fight deadlier than ever," Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias said.
"Those who have seen Energy in action will tell you that he possesses all the qualities to become a world champion. He is fast, he is strong, has incredible boxing skills and has a strong chin. His last fight against South Africa's Sabelo Ngebinyana earned him a lot of respect and he now has an opportunity to show the world what he is made of against a tough opponent away from home," he added.
Approached for comment, Nghitumbwa had this to say:
"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. As a team we have taken my career step by step and I am happy with the progress we have made and the timing of this fight. My confidence is very high, and this opportunity presents me with a chance to announce my arrival on the international scene. After this fight I want everybody in the super bantamweight division to know my name and move on to bigger fights, but Boyd is my focus now."
Tobias was confident that Nghitumbwa will return to Namibia with two more titles and delight the world with an impressive performance.
"We know what Energy is made of, he has worked hard over the years, he is very disciplined, and he deserves this opportunity. We are fully focused on this fight and victory will not be easy but it is well within reach." He said.
Energy is promoted by the MTC Sunshine Promotions while the event will be promoted by 4U Promotions in Australia.
