WBO AFRICA CHAMPION OBODAI SAI FACES CONGO’S KUVESA KATEMBO AUG. 9

Ghanaian WBO Africa Champion Obodai Sai returns for the first time in 2019 to face Mardochec Kuvesa Katembo from the Democratic Republic of Congo in what has been termed as the ‘Battle For Supremacy’ on August 9th at the plush La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra.

Sai (35-3-0, 26KOs) became a Two-Time WBO Africa Champion on Dons Promotion premier show at the Bukom Boxing Arena in December 2018. This will be his first defence after winning the strip against France Ramanolu from South Africa.

Katembo (13-2-0) comes into this fight knowing he’s also won against Sai’s old foe Ramanolu. The 25 years old boxer has already indicated that he is coming to Accra, Ghana to win and move on to become a continental champion.

One interesting fact about the bout is that, both Sai and Katembo all won by Unanimous Decision when they faced Ramanolu in December 2018 and June 2019 respectively.

‘The Battle for Supremacy’ has other under cards that boxing fans can not miss. John Laryea aka ‘The Expensive Boxer’ from Bronx Gym at James Town will clash with Ezekiel Annan for the Ghana National Featherweight Title.

John ‘Expensive Boxer’ Laryea has a record of (4-0 -2 KO’s). He is a fantastic boxer who is consistently carving for himself a great image and a strong brand. He last fought on March 6, 2019 which he won against Issifu Sulley by a unanimous decision.

Ezekiel Annan boasts of a record of (7-5-1, 6 KO’s). With six of his seven wins coming by way of knockouts should tell you that Ezekiel is a great puncher. His last fight against Sherif Mohammed on February 23, 2019 ended in a draw.

Nigerian boxer, Felix Williams and Kpakpo Allotey will face international opponents on the bill.

Meanwhile, before the fight, three Ghanaian boxers have penned 3-year deals with Don’s Promotion on Tuesday 9th June, 2019.

The three boxers are former skipper of the Black Bombers Bastie Samir (17-0-1, 16KOs) in the Light heavyweight division, a former WABU Champion Patrick Ayi (20-0-0, 12KOs) in the Super Featherweight division and Theophillus Tetteh (11-1-0, 10KOs) in the Bantamweight division.

The signing took place at the offices of Don’s Promotions in Accra.

Via BoxingAfrica.com

Hot of the heels of a world class event recently staged at the Windhoek Country Club between two WBO top rated boxers, the MTC Nestor Sunshine Promotions will do it again, by presenting another world class bout titled “The Battle: Namibia vs China.

The undefeated Mike Shonena who is the reigning WBO Africa Welterweight champion, and rated at 5 in the WBO word ratings will take on the biggest fight of his career to date when he faces Youli Dong from China. Dong is the currently rated at 15 by the WBO and is the following current WBO Asia Pacific Youth Welterweight champion.

Both the WBO Africa and WBO Asia Pacific Youth titles will be on the line, and the magnificence of the fight is that two WBO top 15 rated boxers will once again meet on Namibian soil.

Shonena now has 14 fights and remains undefeated and has already successfully defended his WBO Africa title for 4 consecutive times, while Dong has a record of 15 fights, 13 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw making him a dangerous opponent, that has also successfully defended his title successfully.

This world class fight is scheduled for the 24th of August 2019 at the Ongwediva Trade Fair as part of the OATF 2019 Fair. The fight will be broadcast live in Namibia and China and all eyes in the Welterweight division will be on this clash as fellow world rated boxers historically never or rarely fight each other.

“This is going to be another spectacular event. After xx years in boxing, the MTC Nestor Sunshine Promotions has come off age, and we are well positioned to promote the biggest fights in the world in the interest of our fans. Making fights against fellow world rated boxers and especially convincing them to come to Namibia is not easy and very costly, but we do this to make meaningful and quality fights that will push our boxers and prepare them for even bigger fights. We therefore want to invite the entire Namibia to come and support this event and come and celebrate the best of Namibian boxing at the Annual Ongwediva Trade Fair,” said Nestor.

Speaking at the launch of the fight, Mike Shonena expressed his excitement about this big opportunity. “I know that Dong will be a very tough opponent, he is strong and world rated, but I have home ground advantage, have an undefeated record and I promise to give the fans my best performance to remain undefeated” said Shonena

Youli Dong in a short statement expressed his optimism about winning the fight. “I am coming to Namibia to win. I know I will be fighting away from home but I know that my Chinese brothers and sisters will come out in their numbers to come and support me. I am super prepared for this fight and look forward to come and defend and grab an extra title for me,” said Dong

by Tamas Pradarics –

Paulus Moses got one step closer to an eventual world title fight with a strong performance in his native Namibia last Saturday night. The former WBA lightweight champion faced replacement opponent Chrispine Moliati (18-7-4, 8 KOs) in a bout served as the main event at Ramatex Factory in Windhoek as part of the traditional Independence celebrations in Namibia.

Moses (39-3-0-1, 24 KOs), who is the current WBO Africa belt holder, delivered a dominant performance against his Malawian foe before knocking him out in the seventh stanza.

“I am completely satisfied with my performance, ranked number six by the WBO now I am looking forward to another world title fight hopefully in the not too distant future. I am still one of the best in the world in the [lightweight] division, and want to fight whoever thinks they are the best,” said Moses.

The WBO title is held by British Terry Flanagan, who is scheduled to make a voluntary defense against #2 ranked Petr Petrov on April 8 in Manchester.

Moses needs to be patient to get his chance to regain a portion of the lightweight crown as unbeaten #1 ranked contender Felix Verdejo and former three-time world title challenger Raymundo Beltran is also pushing to get the fight against Flanagan.

In other results of the card, undefeated middleweight prospect Walter Kautondokwa (14-0, 13 KOs) defended his version of the WBO Africa belt with an impressive tenth round knockout against Uganda’s Med Sebyala (16-10-1, 13 KOs). Kautondokwa is currently ranked #8 by the WBO and is on his way to build himself up to a world title fight.

Featherweight prospect Sakaria Lukas (19-0, 13 KOs) also retained his WBO Africa belt against Oscar Chauke (35-12-3, 11 KOs) by way of a twelve round decision.

“Sakaria is a wonder kid with great talent and I would love to see him fight a big opponent soon,” said Nestor Tobias, promoter of the event.

Tobias’s next important evening as a promoter/manager is going to be on April 15 in Glasgow, where his only current world champion, IBF/IBO titlist Julius Indongo, is scheduled to face WBA belt holder Ricky Burns in a junior-welterweight unification bout.

www.boxingscene.com/paulus-moses-secured-win-wants-best-lightweight–115342?print_friendly=1

By David Finger \ Photos: Joel Colon/WBO

The World Boxing Organization 27th Annual Convention kicked off in full force this morning at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as members from around the world introduced themselves and we subsequently treated to a video presentation highlighting last year’s convention in Budapest. The first order of business for the executive committee was the Championship Committee report, which highlighted the strong position of the WBO in regards to participating in championship fights. In 2011-2012 the WBO made a strong statement to the boxing world as they had an impressive 38 championship fights. However, as that number dipped to 32 in 2012-2013, the WBO was keen on making a strong statement and to bounce back. The Championship Committee was happy to report that the WBO more than exceeded expectations here.

“This year we came back fierce and strong,” commented Luis Batista Salas, chairman of the Championship Committee. “We came back with 40 championship fights. We had more championship fights than the other organizations together.” Batista Salas also commented on the growth, and strength, of WBO Women’s boxing. “We have 25 champions in the female division, and we only began three years ago with female championship fights.”

Perhaps most noteworthy for the Championship Committee was the prominent role that mandatory defenses played in WBO championship fights. “Mandatory fights are something we take very seriously,” Batista Salas added, “(The WBO) had 32 mandatory fights! This is also a record. That is also something to be proud of.”

From there President Valcarcel announced that the President’s Report would be postponed until after lunch to allow him to speak at length about some issues, including his planned announcement for the second day of the convention, in which the WBO will petition Senator John McCain and the ABC to propose amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act, proposals that would strengthen the bill and impose harsher penalties for violations. He then took a jab at the other organizations, and in particular the recent summit of boxing organizations in Cancun, Mexico that was hosted by the WBC.

“I wasn’t there to waste time in Cancun for some public relations stunt where nothing gets done,” Valcarcel said to the Executive Committee, “there were two of them in the past and nothing got done. We didn’t intend to go and waste our time.”

Valcarcel indicated a desire to continue working with local commissions and the ABC to promote safety and proposed rule changes, noting that local laws will always trump the WBO rules, and therefore it was important to work closely with these commissions. He also added that he will be meeting with the chairman of the IBF tomorrow, as the chairman will be visiting with the WBO in Las Vegas.

The Grievance Committee report followed, and in what could considered a “short and sweet” summary, the Grievance Committee chairman Alberto Rodriguez was happy to announce that there were no complaints submitted to the committee in 2014. He then discussed the process for a party to submit to the grievance committee.

A short video followed featuring WBO women’s bantamweight champion Carolina Duer, followed by Ms. Duer thanking the WBO and expressing her appreciation for the WBO. “Since I’ve been a world champion I’ve always been only a WBO champion,” Duer said to the executive committee, “I am very proud to represent this organization.”

The next order of business was the regional vice presidents report, starting with Istvan “Koko” Kovacs and WBO Europe. Kovacs was pleased to report a very successful year for the WBO Europe. “We had the pleasure to organize the second WBO congress (in Budapest) in 2013 and according to the feedback and your comments, it was very successful. Already after the 2009 (WBO Congress) we saw an increase in the nonetheless already significant activities of WBO Europe. But I must admit that I did not expect to have such extraordinary accomplishments (in 2014).”

WBO Europe increased overall, and although WBO International saw a slight decrease, much of that was attributed to tighter restrictions and higher standards. “We tightened the requirements for the belt,” Kovacs said, “we had less fights but there is higher prestige to the belt.”

However, any drop in activity to WBO International was more than made up by the increase in activity from the WBO European titles. It went from 11 fights in 2013 to 27 in 2014. The number of WBO regional titles in Europe nearly doubled from 29 in 2013 to 53 in 2014, Kovacs then discussed the increase in activity across the board for the WBO in Europe, citing the increased number of fights from the WBO Youth (from 4 to 9) and WBO female championships (from 5 to 9). In 2014 there were also 10 WBO championship fights in Europe, which was the same number as in 2013.

Kovacs then discussed the overall history of the WBO European title since 2009, noting that they have had 92 championship fights, with 54 champions, of which 13 would go on to fight for the title, and of which 3 world champions would emerge. Kovacs then discussed the financial situation with WBO Europe, noting that since 2009 the WBO Europe brought in $95,600 for the WBO in 2014 alone, thus making it the most successful year ever for WBO Europe. Since 2009 WBO Europe has collected over $325,000 in sanctioning fees for the WBO. Kovacs then took a few moments to discuss the ways in which WBO Europe took part in the WBO Kids Drug Free program.

From there WBO Asia Pacific Vice President Leon Panoncillo took the floor to discuss both the state of boxing in Asia and in Africa.

“Asia Pacific has shown positive growth, with 17 sanctioned fights since last year’s convention,” Panoncillo said. He also added that WBO Asia Pacific brought in $28,011.57 in revenue since the last convention and that he expected to sanction five more fights before the end of the year.

He then discussed the WBO Oriental title, adding that since the last convention he sanctioned 30 Oriental Championship matches, collecting a total of $44,250 in revenue since the last convention. The impressive increase in activity marked a dramatic rise in activity for the WBO Oriental title, making 2014 one of the most successful years in the history of WBO Oriental and in striking range of being the most successful year ever for the title. Panoncillo then went on to discuss the WBO Africa, noting that WBO Africa has sanctioned 16 total championship fights since the last convention and that it has raised $21,400 in revenue. Panoncillo then closed out with a discussion of the state of affairs with WBO Asia Pacific Youth, noting that the WBO sanctioned three youth titles and subsequently raised $2,525 in revenue for the WBO since the last convention.

From there WBO first vice president John Duggan discussed the China Zone development, and his hopes to see the WBO continue to grow in the region.

After Duggan’s discussion of China the WBO handed out several awards, with Marco Huck being the most notable. Huck was recently named a WBO Super Champion, and although he did not have a Super Championship belt yet, he was awarded a plague commemorating his accomplishment.

“This is a very rare and great honor,” Huck said after receiving the award, “I am very proud to be named Super Champion after 13 title defenses.”Also given awards were Osvaldo Rivero, who was named Latin America promoter of the year by the WBO. Also given an award was Patrick Teixeira, who was awarded the OMB Latino Champion of the year.

From there Jorge Molina presented his report on WBO Latino, noting that he still embraced the philosophy that “the sky’s the limit” when considering the future of the organization. Since the last convention, Molina noted that the WBO has sanctioned 30 championship fights, an increase from 25 in 2013. Of those 30 fights, 10 were held in Argentina, 10 were held in Brazil, six were held in the United States, 3 were held in Mexico, and 1 was held in Puerto Rico. Five fights were in the welterweight division, five were in the junior bantamweight division, and four were in the junior middleweight division. Molina then discussed the proud history of the OMB Latino championship, noting that the WBO Latino held an astounding 526 title fights since 1996. Of those who fought for the WBO Latino title, 134 would go on to fight for the world title, while 41 would go on to win world championships. Molina then added that since the last convention three OMB Latino Champions have gone on to win world titles as well. Molina then closed out with a video presentation that highlighted some of the greatest moments of WBO Latino, highlighting some legendary champions like Michael Carbajal and Ener Julio.

The executive committee took a short recess for lunch, and upon returning from lunch, resumed with the treasurer’s report. WBO CPA Jaime Ceballero advised that the strength of the WBO financial situation, adding that the WBO had $1,242,724 in savings, an increase in revenue of 302%. The increase in revenue was the largest ever in the history of the WBO. He then added that the WBO accounts included nearly $2,000,000 when added with the accounts of all of the regional organizations. He then added that, if the WBO were to pay off all of their debts today, they would still hold in excess of a million dollars. The positive report prompted President Valcarcel to ask if the WBO could spend more money on the WBO Kids Drug Free program. Unfortunately there was one area where regional organization in which WBO didn’t have tremendous success initially in 2014: the NABO.

The NABO had recently changed leadership in February of 2014 after reporting substantial losses in 2013 and early 2014. New NABO Vice President Jose Izquierdo, however, had done much to turn that ship around since taking over. One area of strength was the increase in fights on “important” cards such as the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley PPV card, or the recent Floyd Mayweather-Marcos Maidana PPV in 2014. Since taking over the helm at NABO, Izquierdo has sanctioned 12 NABO title fights and 14 Inter-Continental title fights, helping fuel a dramatic turnaround for the NABO financially.

“There is a dramatic decrease in the amount owed,” Izquierdo said, “over 46% decrease. And a 790% increase for cash on hand.”

Izquierdo has taken a much more inclusive approach to spearhead the NABO’s sudden resurgence. “I’ve called local commissions to have them recommend fighters to be considered and become part of the rankings of the NABO,” Izquierdo said.

The positive changes in the direction of the NABO prompted vice president Luis Batista Salas to sing Izquierdo’s praises during his presentation. “He has changed the face of the NABO,” Batista Salas said of Izquierdo.

From there President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel presented the WBO President’s Report, and as expected, he took time to again discuss a topic that has become his cause belle: the proliferation of titles in boxing. Valcarcel first commended Jose Izquierdo on scoring a knockout with WBO’s presence on social media like Facebook.com and Twitter. Noting how WBO’s Facebook page went from 7,000 followers to 334,996 followers in only one year, he commended Izquierdo for helping turn WBO boxing into one of the most popular boxing pages on the internet.

“It is the fastest way to get resolutions out and give the public an outlet (to communicate with us).” Valcarcel said.

Valcarcel then spoke time to speak about the WBO champions, noting that “the WBO is very lucky, because we have the money makers. We have the best champions around the world.”

He then took a jab at a rival organization, noting that former WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin was making more money in his title defenses than a rival organizations champion who had become a regular fixture on television. He also noted that at the bantamweight weight class, the WBO recently received a $600,000 purse bid from a promoter for a title fight and that Marco Huck is highly successful in the cruiserweight division, earning tremendous paydays as a cruiserweight. Valcarcel then took another jab at the rival organizations and the proliferation of numerous “copper, platinum, silver, and aluminum” titles.

“We have the WBO (world) champion and that’s it! We call Klitschko a Super Champion and that’s it. We don’t have anyone (other champion) behind him. I want to be polite, but I have to speak the truth. Who cares about Alex Povetkin? The champion is Klitschko!”

Explaining the difference between the WBO and some of the other sanctioning organizations in how they recognize champions.

“We have regional titles, but others, they have 3, 4, 5 titles.” Valcarcel added. “We only have one Latino Champion…that means the WBO Latino title carries prestige. We want to keep it that way. We don’t want to have a bunch of titles.”

From there discussions turned to recent litigation involving the WBO, including a case in Puerto Rico that threatens the tax-exempt status of the WBO.

“Our financial success has attracted the attention of inland revenue in Puerto Rico,” WBOs legal counsel associated with the case told the commission, “due to new tax laws in Puerto Rico and the recession in Puerto Rico, and the degradation of Puerto Rican bonds. Puerto Rico has imposed further taxes to cover this.”

Although the WBO is a recognized non-profit according to the United States federal government, the government of Puerto Rico has refused to give full faith and credit to this designation, and their decision had initially been upheld by the Puerto Rican court of appeals. Although the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico initially refused to hear the case, the WBO remained confident that they still had a strong appeal.

Jose Izquierdo made a motion to give the President the authority to unilaterally name a committee to take on this issue at his discretion, a motion that was passed unanimously.

The second issue discussed was the issue of a trademark registration in Europe, and a fraudulent company that sent an unsolicited letter demanding payment to “register” the WBO trademark. This letter was disregarded when the WBO European Council assured the executive committee that the WBO trademarks are registered for the next several years.

Closing out the first day of the meeting, President Valcarcel again discussed the issue of the WBO’s refusal to take part in the joint summit of boxing sanctioning organizations held in Cancun earlier this year.

“We can work with other commissioners regarding safety,” Valcarcel said, “that doesn’t mean we have to meet up (with rival organizations) for it. I never heard of Coca-Cola and Pepsi having a meeting together. You have your own flavor, we don’t have to meet anyone, we don’t have to go anywhere because we are very busy. We are busy working with kids, enhancing the image of the sport. We had a meeting in 2011 and we talked about the same issues. We are doing much more than other organizations. Did you hear of other organizations doing as much for kids?”

WBO European member Markus Aslani then chimed in, “We stick to our rules and we don’t take part in the inflation of titles.”

“I think the main problem in boxing is that you have more than one champion in each division,” Valcarcel added.

“One organization that shall remain unnamed had 41 champions in 17 weight classes,” Jose Izquerdo added.

“We have the support of the most respected boxing writers of the world,” Valcarcel added, “I think in boxing, honesty is the best policy. If we are recognized as the honest organization, we are going to have success.”

From there President Valcarcel added that he will discuss proposals to Senator John McCain and Harry Reid in regards to amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act, and that the WBO would “not tolerate corruption in its ranks.”

Rounding off the opening day was a presentation on the still developing China Zone, which discussed its plans for 2015. The event closed off with a cocktail party that evening, and is set to resume tomorrow at 8:30 AM.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/giant-wbo-2014-convention-day-one-report-266381

Paulus Moses retained his WBO International Lightweight title after beating Leonardo Gonzalez of Argentina on a 7th round TKO.

Moses put Gonzalez down with a right hook and although the tough Argentinian immediately got up, Moses was all over him before the referee stepped in to stop the fight, 1 minute 37 seconds into the 7th round.

Moses got a good workout from Gonzales, who was brave but not in the same class.

Moses raked up the points with his sharp jab and quick combinations but his defence was not great, with Gonzalez also regularly finding the target.

In the fifth round Gonzalez pummeled away at Moses on the ropes but Moses got out and finished the round stronger.

Moses controlled round six, landing some quick combinations and moving slickly, before the end came in the seventh round.

In the main supporting bout Tyson Ushona retained his WBO Africa welterweight title with a unanimous points decision over 12 rounds against Kaizer Mabuza of South Africa.

Mabuza gave Ushona a tough workout but in the end all three judges scored the fight 118-109 to Ushona.

Ushona was the busier fighter while he also sent Mabuza to the canvas with a sharp hook in the tenth round.

Pascal Ndomba of Tanzania was no match for Vikapita Meroro who retained his WBO Africa cruiserweight title after a second round TKO.

Meroro held a 6kg advantage and a big reach advantage and after a slow start, landed some big body shots by the second round. Ndomba clearly had had enough and did not come out for the third round.

The results of other fights were as follows:

Martin Haikali beat Nkosinathi Ntshangase (SA) on points over 8 rounds (76-76, 78-75, 78-75).

Peter Malakia beat Matheus Shimbi on points over 6 rounds (58-54, 59-53, 59-53).

Jafet Utoni beat Neaman Angula on points over 4 rounds (40-36, 40-36, 40-36).

Onesmus Nekundi bear Abner Mwafangejo on points over 4 rounds (39-37, 39-37, 38-38).

Mike Shonena beat Kapena Hamunyela on points over 4 rounds (40-34, 40-34, 40-34).

http://www.namibiasport.com.na/node/32938

Story and photos by David Finger

The 26th Annual WBO Congress officially kicked off Tuesday morning at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Budapest as boxing insiders from around the world came to celebrate some of the exciting developments in the World Boxing Organization in 2013. The event kicked off with roll call, followed by an invocation. After approving the prior minutes from the 2012 Convention, the congress moved forward with the regional Vice President’s reports. Starting off was Vice President Mark Reels, who did reports from the NABO and the WBO Intercontinental. Although the NABO and the WBO Intercontinental both saw a slight drop in activity it still was a productive and profitable year for the regional organizations.

The NABO held an impressive 12 championship fights (with revenue of $46,760) while the Intercontinental held 20 championship fights (with a revenue of $68,560). Reels also discussed the success of the WBO in developing world class fighters. Reels discussed how the NABO has seen 54 of the 262 fighters who fought for the belt subsequently fight for the WBO title. Although Reels downplayed the statistic, expressing a desire to see that number rise, it nonetheless impressed many at the table, with President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel calling it “impressive.”

“Our issue is with quality over quantity,” Reels said during his presentation, “we have criteria for a fighter who is able to fight for a title.” Reels, however, did want to see some leniency on the issue of fighters getting sanctioned for NABO and WBO InterContinental fights, noting some good fighters who technically fell short of the high standards set by the WBO in regards to qualifications. President Valcarcel expressed concern over the idea.

Still, with all 15 NABO championship fights since last year’s convention being televised by a major TV network, Reels had an impressive year by nearly any standard. “As far as activity levels go, it is low,” Reels added, “but we really are recognized the world over.” Reels then discussed the revenue of the Intercontinental, confirming that the WBO Intercontinental collected over $40,000 of the $68,560 income in 2013.

From there Vice President Istvan “Koko” Kovacs presented his report on the WBO Europe. Although he admitted it was a “quiet year” he still was happy to announce that it Iwas still a productive year for the European continent. There were 13 Intercontinental title fights, with 9 taking place in Europe. There were also 14 International title fights, with 9 taking place in Europe, as well as 11 WBO European title fights. There were 6 WBO Youth title fights, with 4 taking place in Europe, 21 female title fights, with 5 taking place in Europe, and 32 world title fights with 10 taking place in Europe. Overall the WBO had 29 fights in Europe, a drop from 38 the previous year. WBO Europe’s revenue in 2013 was $40,500. Kovacs also commented on the previous issue with the British Boxing Board, commenting on how the WBO no longer has any problems working with the BBB. The BBB refused to recognize the WBO in previous years.

Next was Vice President Jorge Molina’s report on the WBO Latino. Molina admitted it had been a “hard year” for the Latino, with “only 25 Latino title fights in 10 months.” Still, Molina was able to point to the WBO Latino’s proud tradition and was able to proudly say that the WBO Latino continued that tradition in 2013. “#7 WBO Latino Champions became world champions,” Molina said, “and four of our WBO Latino champions have become world title holders (this year).” The WBO Latino raised $26,000 in the 25 title fights since the last convention, with 13 planned title fights to round out the year.

From there a short video on the WBO’s widely successful WBO Kids Drug Free program was shown.

Next was Andrew Smalle’s WBO Africa regional report. Smalle admitted it was a slow year, with 7 WBO Africa fights since the last convention. From November of 2012 to December of 2012 there were three title fights, with revenue of $5,050. From January of 2013 to August of 2013 there were 4 WBO Africa title fights with revenue of $4,800. However, Smalle confirmed that additional income was expected as some sponsorship allocation was expected to kick in before the end of the year. Smalle also commented on the WBO’s commitment to high standards for the quality of the fighters who compete for the WBO African belt. Smalle’s commitment to the highest standards for WBO title fights has resulted in a lower number of championship fights, but also of a growing reputation in the continent.

“It’s been a challenge but I don’t see it as a negative at all,” Smalle admitted, “it can only go up from where it’s at now. We are a young organization, and one of our proudest moments was one of our fighters winning a championship earlier this year.” Smalle noted that despite the low activity, the WBO Africa’s high standard has resulted in it being the only regional African organization that has seen all of its champions ranked in the world rankings after winning a regional belt.

Next came Leon Panoncillo’s report from WBO Asia. Similar to the other organizations WBO Asia saw a slight decline in revenue, but it has continued its commitment to quality. Since the last convention the Asia-Pacific held 14 championship fights, raising $27,700. Panoncillo also anticipated holding 10 more fights before the end of the year. The WBO Oriental title had 5 fights, with 8 more planned for the end f other year. The WBO Asia Pacific Youth title had three title fights, raising $3,750. Although Panoncillo admitted that the Youth title has “not taken off” he was optimistic that a major Filipino television network was interested in partnering up with the WBO Asia-Pacific to award a youth belt to the winner of a “Contender” like reality series involving young prizefighters in the Philippines. Panoncillo’s biggest coup came with the exciting developments of his newest title: the WBO International championship. In just one year the WBO International title has become a highly prestigious belt, with Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios fighting for the vacant belt in Macao on November 24th. Panoncillo confirmed that the WBO has custom made a new belt for the winner of that fight.

The next report came from Zhang Tao on the China Zone. Although the WBO China Zone held only 7 fight shows, the WBO is still making headway into the world’s largest market, and Tao informed the board that he looked forward to hosting the WBO in China. Joe Hernandez then spoke of the Cuban boxing scene, and his desire that the situation in Cuba would soon open up. “When it (Cuba) does come free, the WBO will be at the forefront.”

Markus Aslani followed with his report on female boxing in the WBO. He proudly announced that the WBO had a good year, with an emphasis on quality in regards to female championship fights.

After lunch there was a brief discussion on ratings by Luis Perez, followed by a report by Luis Bautista Salas, which not only focused on “loyalty” but also discussed the successful year of the WBO, with 54 total championship fights (33 men’s championship fights and 21 female championship fights). There was a brief discussion on the growth of the WBO in the British boxing scene.

“We have good working relations and we want to see how we can continue this in the future,” President Valcarcel said.

A discussion from representatives from the Japan Boxing Commission followed, which was a clear sign of the WBO’s success in breaking into a new market. At the last congress in Budapest in 2009 there was a controversy over the WBO’s inability to operate in Japan. The growth in Japan since then was a clear victory for the WBO as it moved forward in Japan.

Next came the legal report, in which the WBO legal representatives discussed several pending legal issues. Several issues regarding trademark registration was discussed, with several brands extended into 2018. They then followed up with a discussion on the recent litigation in Puerto Rico. Some confusion emerged in 2012 in regards to the administrative level, with the Puerto Rican Department of treasury moving forward with legal action against the WBO in regards to its tax exempt status.

“It’s confusion over what we actually do,” one of the legal advisors for the WBO said, “It’s a lack of knowledge of the working issues of the organization.” Although the WBO is confident that they will prevail, several members understood that even if they do not prevail in litigation, it will have little major impact on the WBO. If there is an issue we will simply change the way we disperse funds,” one legal advisor of the WBO said.

Rounding off Day One, WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel gave a special shout out to WBO Asia Vice President Leon Panoncillo over the impressive developments in Macao and the Philippines.

“We control Asia from A to Z,” Valcarcel said, “everything that occurring Asia is very important to us.”

Rounding off the night, boxing insiders visited the Lázár Lovaspark, where they were delighted by a traditional Hungarian horseshow as well as a traditional Hungarian dinner.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/wbo-congress-day-one-report-221703

A CRACKING fight can be expected when Paulus Moses defends his WBO international lightweight title against Jeremias Castillo of Argentina on Saturday night.

Both boxers were very confident when they addressed a press conference in Windhoek yesterday.
Castillo, speaking through an interpreter, said he would knock Moses out by the fifth round.
“I want to thank the Namibian people who have made me very welcome here. I have trained very hard for this fight and I know that I will win by the fourth or the fifth round,” he confidently predicted.
“He (Moses) is over 30 and in the final part of his career, so on Saturday I will send him into early retirement,” he added.
Moses, for his part, was unfazed by Castillo’s prediction.
“It’s not the first time that our visitors talk like that, so I am used to it and I’m ready to defend my title. In my last fight Cassius Baloyi had six losses and he went back with seven losses, so this one will be the same,” he said, referring to Castillo’s record of 19 wins, six defeats and one draw.
Moses also thanked MTC for their investment in Namibian boxing and called on his fans at the coast to come and support him on Saturday night.
Several of Namibia’s top boxers will appear on the undercard – including Tyson Ushona, Wilberforce Shihepo, Johannes Mwetupunga and Abraham Ndaendapo.
Ushona will fight Said Zungu of Tanzania, Shihepo will fight Udiadia Mwahila of the DRC, Mwetupunga will fight Amos Temfuma of Zambia and Ndaendapo will fight Richard Muriri of Zimbabwe.
Paulus Ambunda will also be in action and will fight against four boxers in preparation for his WBO bantamweight world title fight early next year. He will fight two rounds each against Lukas Sakaria, Mathew Kandala, Abmerk Shindjuu and Immanuel Naidjala.
In other fights, Josephj Katenda will fight Tinashe Madziwana of Zimbabwe, Jason Mashala will fight Lukas Handivele, Immanuel Andreki will fight Toivo Mukwedje and Onesmus Nekundi will fight Johannes Gabriel.
Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias said the boxing bonanza, which will take place at the Vineta Sport Complex, will be a world-class event.
“You cannot get a better card than this one in Africa and this card will sell all over the world,” he said.
“We will also have entertainment with musicians like Stefan Ludik, Stella and Wambuseun so I want to call on the people at the coast to come and support the show,” he said.
Tim Ekandjo of MTC said they would hold a roadshow in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay today so that fans can meet their boxing heroes.
“As the sponsors we are very excited and we invite you all to attend. On Wednesday we will hold a roadshow in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to parade the boxers and give members of the public an opportunity to meet them,” he said.
“We have committed to host nine fights per year and the next one will be in the north. Now we are giving the coast an opportunity, so make use of it and come and see some world class boxers in action,” he said.
Tickets for the boxing bonanza cost N$500 for VIP seats, N$150 for the middle row and N$50 for the grandstand. Tickets are available at Computicket at Shoprite-Checkers branches throughout Namibia, and at the Boxing Control Board office.
There will be free bus transport for Walvis Bay residents to Swakopmund, with the first bus leaving from the Kuisebmond Hall at 15h30 on Saturday.

By: HELGE SCHUTZ

http://www.namibian.com.na/sport/local/full-story/archive/2012/december/article/moses-castillo-ready-for-saturday-showdown/

Tanzania fighter Pascal Ndomba failed to answer the bell for the seventh round as Ghana’s popular boxer, Braimah Kamoko to (Bunkom Banku), won the new WBO Africa Cruiserweight title on a technical knockout last Saturday at the Lebano House in Accra.

Banku won the bout easily in a one-sided encounter a, as Ndomba appeared to have lacked ideas and device a panacea for Banku’s ceaseless punches.

Dubbed “Ghana for Peace” with regard to Ghana’s general elections on Friday, Banku entered the ring hanged on a cross and virtually dragged through the fans before mounting the ring.

The boxer then zoomed into action with early body shots and jabs before attacking with hefty punches, one of which nearly dazed the visitor.

Ndomba tried to recover but could only do so in the fourth round with jabs and one or two punches. But Banku quickly roared and took dominance of the bout until the seventh round when the Tanzania failed to answer the bell.

Banku was crowned champion and lifted to the admiration of all.

There were five under cards on the night including an International Middleweight contest between Ghana’s Ahmed Saraku and Nigeria Alaba Okusote.

The Ghanaian won the bout in the sixth round via a technical knockout while ex-Black Bomber, Frederick Lawson of Fit Square Gym also recorded a second round technical knockout over Charles Tetteh of Black Panthers Boxing Gym.

http://sports.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201212/98192.php

Tornado Sánchez a concluir preparaciónof Kenya at a Boxing Bonanza scheduled to take place at the Windhoek Country Club on October 12.

Ushona, who is currently ranked second in the world by the World Boxing Organisation, has a professional record of 26 wins, 2 defeats and one draw, while Bruno has a record of 16 wins, 14 losses and three draws.

Julius Indongo will also take on James Onyango of Kenya for the vacant WBO Africa Junior Welterweight title, while other Namibian favourites like Vikapita Meroro, Sacky Shikukutu and Abmerk Shidjuu will also be in action.

Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias, who hosted his last boxing bonanza as recently as September 8, said he wanted to keep boxing alive and make it the number one sport in the country and Africa at large.

“We’ve got seven boxers ranked by the WBO, one of the leading boxing organisations in the world. In the old days South Africa had big name boxers like Brian Mitchell, Dingaan Thobela and Gerrie Coetzee, but now Namibia is the leading country in Africa when it comes to the rankings,” he said.

“We have to keep Tyson busy and he has to protect his rating. Bruno is a very experienced boxer and will give him a tough workout,” Tobias said.

In the main supporting bout Vikapita Meroro will take on Victor Moyo of Zimbabwe in a rematch over six rounds.

Meroro, who is a former WBO Africa light heavyweight champion, will be keen to resurrect his career after he lost three of his last four fights. Amongst others, he lost to the former WBO light heavyweight champion Jurgen Braehmer of Germany and the WBC International Light Heavyweight champion, Isaac Chilemba of Malawi.

Meroro has a record of 21 wins and four defeats, while Moyo has a record of five wins and four losses. The first time the two boxers met, Meroro comfortably won the fight with a second round knockout on March 21, 2009.

Namibia’s WBO Africa flyweight champion Abmerk Shidjuu will take on an as yet, unnamed opponent, although Tobias confirmed that it would be a Zambian boxer.

Meanwhile, Julius Indongo will challenge for the vacant WBO Africa junior welterweight title when he takes on James Onyango of Kenya over 12 rounds. Indongo is still undefeated after 10 pro fights, while Onyango has a record of 11 wins and four defeats.

Sacky Shikukutu, who won the WBO Interim Africa title on September 8, will fight Michael Odhiambo of Kenya in an international welterweight fight over eight rounds. Shikukutu, who is ranked 15th by the WBO, has a record of 14 wins, two losses and one draw, while Odhiambo has a record of eight wins and two losses.

In other fights, Manfred Haimbanga, who has won both his pro fights to date, will take on Costa Niilo, who has won one pro fight to date, in a junior lightweight fight over four rounds.

Abraham Ndaendapo who has a record of eight wins, two losses and one draw, will take on Sibusiso Khumalo of South Africa, who has a record of five wins, six losses and two draws, in a junior lightweight fight over six rounds.

Anthony Jaarman, who has a record of seven wins and one loss, will take on Victor Musunga of Zimbabwe (three wins, one loss, one draw) in a junior middleweight fight over four rounds.

Lucas Andeleki (one win, one loss) will take on Mathias Shiimbi (four wins, one loss) in a lightweight fight over four rounds.

Tobias said he did not have a sponsor at this stage, but would promote the fight on his own.

“We are having difficulties in funding, but that’s not an excuse. I’m doing this for these kids, and we are creating a foundation for these boys so that they can make a living,” he said.

“Johanna Benson just showed us that there is no limit to success. She gave us hope and showed that anyone can be successful in life,” he added.

http://www.namibiasport.com.na/node/25993

BLOODY ENCOUNTER … Johannes Mwetupunga and Wilbeforce Shihepo in action during their WBO Africa Super Middleweight fight on Saturday night.

IMMANUEL Naidjala beat Luis Singo of Ecuador in the main bout, but it was a bloody encounter between Wilberforce Shihepo and Johannes Mwetupunga that stole the show at Saturday night’s boxing bonanza a the Windhoek Country Club.

Wilberforce ‘Black Mamba’ Shihepo defended his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title against Johannes ‘Tito’ Mwetupunga in an explosive and bloody encounter over 12 rounds that had the crowd up on its feet and shouting for more from the start.
The fight started dramatically as Shihepo knocked Mwetupunga down twice in the first round, but Mwetupunga was soon up again and fought back bravely.
At the end of the round, Shihepo was also warned for a late blow when he hit Mwetupunga on the ground at the end of the round.
Shihepo continued to stagger Mwetupunga with some heavy blows but Mwetupunga gave as good as he got and opened up a cut above Shihepo’s eye by the second round.
The fight took a dramatic turn in the fourth round when the boxers’ heads clashed which opened a gash on Mwetupunga’s forehead and on Shihepo’s left eye. For the remainder of the fight blood streamed down both boxers’ faces but the ring doctor allowed the fight to continue.
Shihepo had the more powerful punches but Mwetupunga was quicker, landing numerous counterattacks that had the crowd up on its feet, shouting, “Tito, Tito, Tito.”
Shihepo once again knocked Mwetupunga down to the canvas in the eighth round but he got up and gave as good as he got to see out the 12 rounds.
Shihepo was a comfortable winner on points to retain his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title, with the three judges all ruling in his favour – 117-109, 114-112, 117-110.

NAIDJALA REMAINS UNBEATEN

Immanuel Naidjala maintained his unbeaten record as a pro boxer when he beat Luis Singo of Ecuador in the main bout.
Naidjala was well ahead on points when the referee stopped the fight on the advice of the ring doctor after an accidental clash of heads.
Naidjala was leading 68-61, 70-59, 70-59 when the fight was stopped. Naidjala knocked Singo down three times but the nuggety Ecuadorean got up each time and frustrated Naidjala by continuously moving out of each.
Naidjala once again impressed with his speed and landed some sharp combinations but Singo was an elusive target and also landed some good punches on the counterattack.
Naidjala’s frustrations boiled over when he twice knocked Singo down after the bell in the third and the sixth rounds.
The end came midway through the eighth round when Singo got a cut on his head after a clash of heads. The ring doctor inspected the cut and on his recommendation the fight was stopped.
Naidjala is now unbeaten after 15 pro fights, while Singo’s record stands at 14 wins 11 defeats and 2 draws.

SHIKUKUTU BEATS HANGO IN REMATCH

In another exciting match-up Tommy Hango lost his WBO Africa interim welterweight title when he was knocked out by Sacky Shikukutu in the tenth round.
Hango won the title when he beat Shikukutu on points in their first encounter in June, but this time Shikukutu was too strong for him as he regularly landed sharp uppercuts to the body throughout the fight.
Hango fought back bravely, going toe-to-toe with Shikukutu, but Shikukutu’s heavy blows started to take effect midway through the fight.
The end came after 1:53 in the tenth round when Shikukutu sent Hango crashing to the canvas with a right hook and although he tried to get up, he could not beat the count.
Samuel Kapapu won the Namibian national lightweight title with a second-round technical knockout of Peter Malakia.
Kapapu sent Malakia to the canvas in the first round and although Malakia saw out the round, Kapapu was all over him in the second, before the referee stopped the fight after 2:38.
In other fights, Toivo Mukwendje beat Mathias Johannes with a second-round knockout, Immanuel Andeleki beat Leonard Shemuvalula on points over four rounds and Sakaria Lukas beat David Egumbo on a second round technical knockout.\

http://www.namibian.com.na/sport/local/full-story/archive/2012/september/article/shihepo-mwetupunga-in-bloody-encounter/

Shihepo will defend his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title against compatriot Johannes Mwetupunga over 12 rounds.

Mwetupunga easily made the weight limit of 76,36kg by weighing in at 75,60kg, but Shihepo initially weighed in slightly over the limit at 76,55kg. After a short workout he however weighed in at 75,98kg.

Immanuel Naidjala and Luis Singo of Ecuador who will feature in the evening’s main fight both made the bantamweight limit of 53,52kg. Singo comfortably made the limit, weighing in at 53,05kg, while Naidjala weighed in at 53,40kg.

Tommy Hango and Sackey Shikukutu who will fight it out for the vacant interim WBO African welterweight title both comfortably made the 66,68kg weight limit.

Hango weighed in at 65,80kg, while Shikukutu weighed in at 65,60kg.

The WBO vice president for Africa Andrew Smale who was also in attendance, said he was looking forward to the boxing and congratulated Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias on his efforts to promote boxing in Namibia.

“It’s good to be back in Namibia for such a big night of boxing and I’d like to congratulate Nestor. The last tournament (in July) got everyone buzzing, even beyond Namibia’s borders. It’s also nice to see that there are some local match-ups and title fights and I always look on the undercard to see what new talent is emerging,” he said.

Tobias meanwhile said that ticket sales had gone well although there were still tickets available both for individuals and for tables.

“We have already sold more than 10 tables but there are still a few tables left, while there is also still room for more individuals,” he said.

The tickets cost N$100 per person or N$10 000 per table and they can be purchased at the Namibian Boxing Control office or at the Windhoek Country Club.

Tobias said it should be an exciting evening of boxing.

“The boxers are all ready to go and hungry to win. It should be a great evening’s boxing,” he said.

The action starts at 18h30 and the programme for the evening is attached.

http://www.namibiasport.com.na/node/25788

HIGHLIGHT … Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias with Luis Singo (left) from Ecuador and Namibia’s WBO Interim bantamweight African champion Immanuel Naidjala. Photo: Helge Schutz

IMMANUEL ‘Prince’ Naidjala has vowed to knock out Ecuador’s Luis ‘El Gallo’ Singo when they meet in an international non-title bantamweight fight on Saturday night.

Naidjala and Singo came face to face for the first time at a press conference in Windhoek yesterday where Naidjala confidently predicted a knockout.
“I want to welcome my opponent here in Namibia. I’m so grateful that he at least landed here because that was the worry [that he wouldn’t arrive]. I respect him as a man because of his record but as a boxer I don’t respect him at all,” he said.
“One thing I can promise him is that this will be one of his hardest defeats in one of his hardest fights because that day he will have to fall and he will have to fall hard,” he added.
Singo has a lot of experience with a record of 15 wins, 10 defeats and 2 draws, although he is probably past his prime at the age of 37. He has lost his last five fights while his last victory came nearly two years ago in October 2010.
Naidjala is one of Namibia’s hottest boxing prospects and at age 27, will have youth on his side. He is still undefeated after 14 fights and is currently the interim WBO African bantamweight champion, while he is also ranked seventh in the world by the WBO.
Naidjala said he had trained hard for the fight and had worked on some new tactics that he would display in the ring.
“My preparations have gone well. When my promoter told me about this fight I was very excited. It’s one of my biggest fights against a fighter from outside Africa and that alone encouraged me to train harder. The things that we put into this preparation, we haven’t done before and I promise you I’ll be able to show that on Saturday night,” he said.
“I’m just concentrating on the future and him (Singo) being in front of me. I hope he’s fast enough because looking at his age, I don’t know, and I’ll make him a punching bag that day,” he added.
Speaking through an interpreter, Singo thanked Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias and the Namibian people for inviting him to Namibia.
“He has trained very hard and he has already been overseas a couple of times in Europe as well as Latin America where he has fought some good boxers. He will do his best on Saturday night to win the fight so that he can take the victory back to his country,” he’s interpreter said.

SHIHEPO’S TIME

In the main curtain-raiser, Wilbeforce Shihepo will defend his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title against compatriot Johannes Mwetupunga. Shihepo called on his fans to arrive early because he said the fight could be over quickly.
“This is my time to get back on the map again and I’m ready for Saturday. The fans better come in early because whenever I get a chance to catch him, he’ll be gone,” he said.
In another exciting match up, Tommy Hango will face Sackey Shikukutu in a rematch. Hango beat Shikukutu on a split decision on June 9 to win the Namibian welterweight title and this time the two boxers will fight it out for the vacant interim WBO Africa welterweight title over 12 rounds.
“I lost to this guy [Hango] last time, so he was the winner and I want him to prove himself again that he is the real man. Since I made my comeback I have not won a fight. I drew one fight and then lost a fight, so this is my time to mark a win on my record,” Shikukutu said.
There will be four other fights on the undercard. Peter Malakia and Samuel Kapapu will fight for the vacant Namibian lightweight title over 10 rounds, while Sakaria Lukas will fight David Egumbo in a 58kg catchweight fight over four rounds.
Immanuel Andeleki will fight Leonard Shemuvalula in a lightweight fight over four rounds, while Toivo Mukwendje will fight Mathias Johannes in a junior lightweight fight over four rounds.
Tickets cost N$100 per person or N$10 000 per table and are available at Computicket at Shoprite Checkers, at the Namibian Boxing Control Board or at the Windhoek Country Club.

http://www.namibian.com.na/sport/local/full-story/archive/2012/september/article/prince-promises-singo-ko/

Immanuel Naidjala has vowed to knock out Luis Singo of Ecuador when the two meet in an international bantamweight fight on Saturday night.

Naidjala and Singo came face to face for the first time at a press conference in Windhoek yesterday where Naidjala confidently predicted a knockout.

“I want to welcome my opponent here in Namibia. I’m so grateful that he at least landed here because that was the worry (that he would arrive). I respect him as a man because of his record but as a boxer I don’t respect him at all,” he said.

“One thing I can promise him is that this will be one of his hardest defeats in one of his hardest fights because that day he will have to fall and he will have to fall hard,” he added.

Singo has a lot of experience with a record of 15 wins, 10 defeats and 2 draws, although he is probably past his prime at the age of 37. He has lost his last five fights while his last victory came nearly two years ago in October 2010.

Naidjala is one of Namibia’s hottest boxing prospects and at the age of 27 will have age on his side. He is still undefeated after 14 fights and is currently the interim WBO African bantamweight champion, while he is also ranked seventh in the world by the WBO.

Naidjala said he had trained hard for the fight and had worked on some new tactics that he would display in the ring.

“My preparations have gone well. When my promoter told me about this fight I was very excited. It’s one of my biggest fights against a fighter from outside Africa and that alone encouraged me to train harder. The things that we put into this preparation, we haven’t done before and I promise you I’ll be able to show that on Saturday night,” he said.

“I’m just concentrating on the future and him (Singo) being in front of me. I hope he’s fast enough because looking at his age, I don’t know, and I’ll make him a punching bag that day,” he added.

Speaking through an interpreter, Singo thanked Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias and the Namibian people for inviting him to Namibia.

“He has trained very hard and he has already been overseas a couple of times in Europe as well as Latin America where he has fought some good boxers. He will do his best on Saturday night to win the fight so that he can take the victory back to his country,” he’s interpreter said.

There will be several other exciting fights on the undercard. In the main curtain raiser, Wilbeforce Shihepo will defend his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title against compatriot Johannes Mwetupunga. Shihepo called on his fans to arrive early because he said the fight could be over quickly.

“This is my time to get back on the map again and I’m ready for Saturday. The fans better come in early because whenever I get a chance to catch him, he’ll be gone,” he said.

In another exciting match up, Tommy Hango will face Sackey Shikukutu in a rematch. Hango beat Shikukutu on a split decision on June 9 to win the Namibian welterweight title and this time the two boxers will fight it out for the vacant interim WBO Africa welterweight title over 12 rounds.

“I lost to this guy (Hango) last time, so he was the winner and I want him to prove himself again that he is the real man. Since I made my comeback I have not won a fight. I drew one fight and then lost a fight, so this is my time to mark a win on my record,” Shikukutu said.

There will be four other fight on the undercard. Peter Malakia and Samuel Kapapu will fight for the vacant Namibian lightweight title over 10 rounds, while Sakaria Lukas will fight David Egumbo in a 58kg catchweight fight over four rounds.

Immanuel Andeleki will fight Leonard Shemuvalula in a lightweight fight over four rounds, while Toivo Mukwendje will fight Mathias Johannes in a junior lightweight fight over four rounds.

Tickets cost N$100 per person or N$10 000 per table and are available at computicket at Checkers and Shoprite, at the Namibian Boxing Control Board or at the Windhoek Country Club.

http://www.namibiasport.com.na/node/25748

Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias has put together another top-class boxing bonanza for September 8, which will see Immanuel “Prince” Naidjala, Wilbeforce Shihepo, Tommy Hango and Sacky Shikukutu in action, amongst others.

In the main fight of the evening, Naidjala will face the experienced Luis Singo of Ecuador in an international bantamweight fight over 10 rounds.

Naidjala, who is still undefeated after 14 fights, currently holds the interim WBO Africa Bantamweight title and is ranked seventh in the world by the World Boxing Organisation.

In Luis Singo, he will face an experienced boxer who has a pro record of 15 wins, 10 defeats and two draws. He has not been very successful of late, losing his last five fights, with his last victory coming in October 2010.Naidjala was last in action in June when he was pushed all the way by Emilio Norfat of Kenya before retaining the interim WBO Africa bantamweight title on a split decision.

At 36 years of age, Singo is already past his prime, but he should provide a good test for Naidjala.

HARRY Simon believes Wilberforce Shihepo is better suited to wrestling and lacks the necessary boxing attributes to fight him.

Shihepo – the current Interim WBO Africa super-middleweight champion – called out Simon in June, claiming his compatriot’s first-round TKO victory over Ruben Groenewald of South Africa was a hoax and that the former two-time middleweight world champion was over the hill.
However, Simon feels Shihepo is no match for him and that his wannabe adversary has much to learn.
“He’s like a wrestler. Boxing is more than just muscles. He’s a small boy and I’m a world-class fighter,” said Simon.
“Who is Shihepo? What has he done? How can that boy just come and jump the line? Maybe [I will consider] Meroro.”
Simon, who wants to fight American legend Roy Jones Jr later this year, also said Shihepo’s record is not particularly impressive. Renowned for his brute strength, Shihepo has 17 wins – of which 14 are knockouts – and six defeats.
He is ranked 13th in the world by the WBO.
In his last fight on January 14, he beat Janos Olah of Hungary on a first-round technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight after only two minutes and 27 seconds.
He won the Interim WBO Africa super-middleweight title in March 2011 when he beat Donald Kampamba on a ninth-round TKO.
Since then Shihepo has defended the title twice, beating Sunday Ajuwa of Nigeria on a second-round KO on September 24 and Johannes Pietersen of South Africa on a fifth-round technical knockout on November 5.
He has won his last five fights while his last defeat came against Emmanuel Duma in May 2009 when he was disqualified for hitting Duma with a late blow after he had knocked his rival down to the canvas.
“In my career I’ve beaten ten guys who have never fought after that. I don’t want to hurt this boy and ruin his career,” Simon said.
“It’s OK that he has shown interest in fighting me but he must wait for me to maybe lose three fights and he wins ten straight fights, then I can consider him.”

By: Sheefeni Nikodemus

http://www.namibian.com.na/sport/local/full-story/archive/2012/august/article/simon-snubs-wrestler-shihepo/

CASSIUS “Hitman” Baloyi’s and Isaac “Angel” Hlatshwayo’s dreams of redemption were shattered as the two former world champions lost their fights in Namibia on Saturday night.

Baloyi was outpointed by his namesake, Paulos “Hitman” Moses for the WBO International lightweight title, while Hlatshwayo was defeated on points by Bethel “Tyson” Ushona for the WBO’s Africa welterweight title.

The fights were organised jointly by Namibian promoter Nestor Tobias and Dingaan Thobela, his South African partner.

Baloyi last fought in February last year when he was defeated by Argenis Mendez in an IBF title eliminator, while Hlatshwayo had not seen action since being stopped in two rounds by Bongo Lipembo on March 26.

Moses had not fought since failing to win the WBO title from Ricky Burns on March 10, while 14 days later Ushona was defeated by Jan Zavech the WBO Inter-continental title.

All the judges in the Baloyi-Moses fight were South Africans. Two scored it in favour of Moses, with one voting for Baloyi.

Ushona scored a unanimous points decision.

Baloyi suffered his seventh loss from 45 fights while Hlatshwayo has lost five of his 31 bouts.

Baloyi, 37, is a former six-time world champion in five weight divisions, while Hlatshwayo has held three world title in three weight categories.

Their corners were manned for the first time by their new trainer, Keith Rass.

Thobela said:

“I believe Moses won clean. I have always supported Baloyi and Hlatshwayo, that is why I gave them these chances.

“Nestor and myself had the interest of all four of them at heart but obviously we wanted the best boxers to win because our plan is to get the winners a top 10 rating in the WBO.”

So what does the future hold for Baloyi and Hlatshwayo?

“I will talk to them once they have sat down with their trainer. But I can safely say they proved on Saturday night that they still have firepower in their hands,” said Thobela.

By: Bongani Magaselahttp://www.sowetanlive.co.za/sport/2012/07/30/hitman-and-angel-lose-out

WBO AFRICA

IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
THE APPOINTMENT OF TWO NEW MEMBERS
TO THE WBO AFRICA EXECUTIVE BOARD

MR. CLEMENT MARTIN
AND
Mr. MELVYN CROSS

WELCOME TO THE WBO FAMILY!

Africa Executive Committee

Former IBF Welterweight champion Jan Zaveck and WBO Africa Welerweight champion Bethuel Tyson Ushona held an open workout today for their upcoming bout this Saturday in Slovenia. The bout will be for the vacant WBO Europe Welterweight title.

Paulus Ambunda retained his WBO African bantamweight title at the Independence Boxing Bonanza in Windhoek on Tuesday night but the star of the show was Immanuel Naidjala.

At a packed Windhoek Country Club, Naidjala retained his WBO Africa Interim Bantamweight title after a sensational performance against South Africa’s Lwazi Mzoliso.

In an unbelievable fight, Naidjala was knocked down three times but showed great courage to recover before eventually knocking Mzoliso out in the sixth round.

After a tentative first round, Naidjala exploded into action in the second and soon knocked Mzolisi down with a right hook for the count of eight.

Mzolisi managed to get up but was once again knocked down towards the end of the round. He got up but was clearly in trouble and was saved by the bell.

Mzolisi recovered quickly and caused a major stir when he knocked Naidjala down in the third round. It was not to clear whether Naidjala slipped or was knocked down, but he had to take the eight-count all the same.

Mzoliso was all over Naidjala and there was no doubting the second knockdown as he sent Naidjala to the canvas with a hook to the head. The capacity crowd was stunned into disbelief, but Naidjala managed to beat the count and somehow managed to see out the rest of the round.

The momentum had shifted to the South African, and early in the fourth round he sent Naidjala to the canvas with a straight left. Naidjala once again got up and recovered well, fighting back with some quick combinations at the end of the round.

With fortunes swaying to and fro, Naidjala once again took the initiative in the fifth round as he knocked down Mzoliso with a big right hook, but he got up and fought back strongly at the end of the round.

The drama continued in the sixth round as Naidjala went down, but the referee ruled that he had slipped. He immediately came back and a cracking right hook 2:13 into the round put an end to the contest as Mzoliso went down and stayed down for the count of ten.

The crowd went crazy, hailing a magnificent performance, and Naidjala was further honoured as he received donations worth N$15 000 from various companies after the fight.

Naidjala is now unbeaten after 13 pro fights and should now improve on his WBO world ranking of eighth.

Ambunda unconvincing against Mbele

In the evening’s main fight, Paulus Ambunda comfortably beat Cleutus Mbele of South Africa on points although his performance was not very convincing.

All three judges scored the fight in Ambunda’s favour – 119-108, 119-108, 17-113, but he hardly dominated as much as the scoreline indicates.

Mbele was far the busier boxer, throwing a steady stream of jabs, while Ambunda looked for one big knockout punch that never landed.

Mbele’s punches though had little effect and as the fight wore on, Ambunda did manage to land some big punches. Mbele however defended well and Ambunda seldom managed to breach his defence.

Mbele went down after a low blow by Ambunda in the third round and the fight had to be stopped for about five minutes to allow him to recover, but once back in action, he continued to jab away.

Ambunda stepped up the pressure in the fifth round, catching Mbele on the ropes with combinations to the body and head but the South African fought back well.

Ambunda looked increasingly frustrated as he tried to land a big bunch but struggled against his southpaw opponent, who kept him at bay with some good body movement and a tight defence.

By the eighth round some of Ambunda’s punches started landing and by the ninth, Mbele’s left eye was swollen closed.

In the final rounds, Ambunda stepped up the pressure with some big combinations but the nuggety South African fought back bravely as the boxers slugged it out toe to toe to the delight of the crowd.

Ambunda is now unbeaten after 19 pro fights and with a WBO world ranking of three, he could soon be in line for a world title fight.

Julius Indongo retained his unbeaten status in the lightweight ranks when he beat Misheck Kondwane of Zimbabwe with a fourth round TKO.

Indongo used his long jab to good effect, raking in the points and by the third round had opened up a big welt under Kondwane’s left eye. The ringside doctor inspected it and allowed the fight to continue but the referee stopped the fight 2:02 into the fourth round as Indongo landed combinations at will.

It was Indongo’s 10th straight victory as a lightweight, while Kondwane now has a record of 19 wins and 19 defeats from 38 pro fights.

Sacky Shikukutu made his long awaited return after a long injury layoff but was given a tough time by Pohamba Mandume in a 65kg catchweight fight over four rounds.

The fight started dramatically with Shikukutu throwing big uppercuts and combinations to the head and body, but Mandume gave as good as he got and slugged it out toe to toe to the delight of the crowd.

Shikukutu continued to land some big shots, looking for a knockout, but Mandume fought back with some great combinations and as the fight wore on, he grew in confidence.

By the fourth and final round Mandume slugged it out toe to toe with Shikukutu to the delight of the crowd.

The crowd, however, was not happy with the result, booing away as it was announced a draw, while Mandume left the ring in disgust.

One judge scored the fight 39-38 in Mandume’s favour, while the other two scored draws – 39-39 and 38-38.

Shikukutu now has a pro record of 13 wins and one defeat, while Mandume’s record stands at 4 wins and 4 defeats.

In a lightweight fight over four rounds Mathias Shimbi beat Hosea Daniel on a unanimous points decision.

The powerful Shimbi landed some big blows and in the second round knocked Daniel through the ropes and out of the ring.

In the fourth round Daniel took two standing eight counts and Shimbi eventually won the fight on a unanimous decision, 37-34, 36-34, 37-35.

The results of other fights were as follows:

Featherweight 4 rounds:

Sakaria Lukas beat Lazarus Namalambo on points, 40-37, 40-37, 40-36.

Junior Lightweight 4 rounds:

Manfred Haimbanga beat Sem Kambonde on points 38-34, 40-35, 38-36.

Welterweight 4 rounds:

Samuel Kapapu beat Nicolla Mutonora on points 40-36, 40-36, 40-36.

http://www.namibiasport.com.na/node/22955

Undefeated as a professional, Kamoko made his pro debut back in the year 2000 when he defeated Flash Issaka on points. Five years later, Kamoko captured the African Boxing Union Light Heavyweight title by defeating Michael Gbenga by unanimous decision; and would go on to make one defence of that title. In 2011, the boxer known as “Bukom Banku” got an opportunity to fight for the interim WBO Africa Light Heavyweight title against Joseph Rodriguez Olivera. Kamoko would end up winning the bout via 4th round technical knockout. In his next bout, he then callenged Vikapita Meroro for the WBO Africa Light Heavyweight title. Once again, Kamoko defeated Meroro by unanimous decision. On February 25^th, he made the 2^nd defense of his WBO Africa title at the Accra Sports Stadium against Hamza Wandera, a Ugandan boxer who currently fights out of Sweden

Braimah Kamoko is the pride of Bukom (the area of Accra where he’s from) –and has a huge support base in Accra, where he regularly appears in TV commercials too. He is currently ranked Nr.2 in the Light Heavyweight division.  On February 25^th, he made the 2^nd defense of his WBO Africa title at the Accra Sports Stadium against Hamza Wandera, a Ugandan boxer who currently fights out of Sweden

 His next defence is due 25^th May 2012…

REGIONAL TITLES:

1.) African Boxing Union Light Heavyweight title

2.) WBO Africa Light Heavyweight title

After successfully making a second defence of his WBO Africa Light Heavyweight belt, albeit controversially against Sweden based Ugandan Hamza Wandera, Braimah Kamoko has indicated his readiness to take on the big boys in the division in world boxing.

Banku claimed a 3rd round TKO to secure his win number 23 in 23 professional fights, but it was not without sweat. Wandera had boldly predicted beforehand that he was going to end the Ghanaian nicknamed Bukom Banku’s unbeaten record. Wandera served notice of his intention by scoring a knockdown of Kamoko in the very first round, the first time the Ghanaian showman had ever visited the canvas in his career.

But the unbeaten Bukom Banku bounced back in style and dominated Wandera for the rest of the fight until the Ugandan refused to continue fighting in the 3rd round following complaints that he had been fouled by the Ghanaian boxer. Referee Roger Barnor had no choice than to declare Kamoko the winner.

Even though Wandera has consequently declared his wish for a rematch with international referee and judges, Bukom Banku is less likely to pursue such option because the unbeaten Ghanaian is keen on becoming world champion.

“I’m not sitting down, I’m going forward. I’m going to fight (WBO Light heavyweight champ Nathan) Cleverly for world title. I’ve set a perfect record in my country, now I have to go international.
And I’m more than ready,” the highly eccentric Kamoko indicated after the fight.

By Prince Dornu-Leiku

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=30927&more=1