Ambunda to defend WBO Africa bantamweight title

Paulus Ambunda will defend his WBO African bantamweight title in a boxing bonanza at the Windhoek Country Club on November 5.

Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias said this on Wednesday at a press conference at the Namibia Sport Commission, where he also donated boxing equipment to the Namibia Sport Commission.

Tobias donated 100 punch bags to the NSC which will be distributed throughout Namibia’s 13 regions to help develop boxing at grassroots level.

“We must still finalise Ambunda’s opponent but it will be done later this week. He needs to defend his title within 120 days because his previous fight was not a title defence,” Tobias said.

Ambunda’s last fight was on September 24 when he easily beat Twalib Mubira of Kenya on a third round technical knockout.

It was Ambunda’s 17th straight victory as a professional and took his WBO international ranking up to fourth in the world.

Several other fighters will also feature on the undercard, according to Tobias. They include Tyson Uushona, who holds the WBO African Interim Welterweight title, Wilbeforce Shihepo, who holds the WBO African Super Middleweight title, Julius Indongo, Abmerk Shidjuu and Samuel Kaapapu. Uushona and Shihepo will however not be defending their titles.

Tobias also announced that he was busy negotiating to stage a fight in Namibia for Paulus Moses for the WBA Interim Lightweight title.

Moses was offered an opportunity to fight Richard Abril of Cuba for the WBA Interim Lightweight title in Panama on October 22, but Tobias turned down the chance because it came too soon after Moses’ last fight against Sidney Siqueira of Brazil on September 24. Abril is now expected to fight the former WBA lightweight champion Miguel Acosta for the WBA Interim Lightweight title on October 22.

Tobias said he was now negotiating with Don King to set up a fight for Moses against the winner of the Abril-Acosta fight.

“We asked the WBA for another chance to fight the winner of the Panama fight. So they said yes, we can do that, on condition that we host the fight and fund it. We are busy negotiating with Don King about it,” he said.

Tobias, meanwhile, was once again honoured for his sterling work in promoting boxing when he was recently nominated by the World Boxing Organisation for the Best African Promoter/Manager award. This is the second year in a row that Tobias has been nominated for the award, after he won the award for the foirst time last year.

“It just goes to show that people are looking at what we are doing here in Namibia. Namibia has become a big country with regards to boxing and this recognition will just motivate my boxers and I to achieve greater heights,” he said.