• Boxing

Yearning for the next world champion

• 3 Months Ago 19 September 2024

The years of drought since Namibian boxing have produced a world champion are a source of concern to local observers.

Harry Simon, Paulus ‘Hitman’ Moses, Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda and Julius ‘Blue Machine’ Indongo are the only Namibian fighters to have won recognised world title belts in various divisions.

It has been seven years since any Namibian won a world title, despite the proven pathway for a solid number of Namibians to secure African titles in recent years on their way to the top.

The last Namibian to hold a world title was Paulus Ambunda – in the twilight of his career, before his retirement – when he won the International Boxing Organisation (IBO)’s world super bantamweight belt against Muhamad Ridhwan in the latter’s back yard in Singapore in September 2018.

However, Ambunda conceded the world championship in his first defence against Stephen Fulton of the USA, in Fairfax, Virginia in May 2019.

More recently, lightweight Jeremiah Nakathila has fought top American opponents in Las Vegas, although following costly losses and at 34 years of age, his chances of securing another meaningful shot appears to be slim.

Boxing stables in Namibia have continued to produce promising prospects, but the climb to earn a shot at boxing’s greatest honours have always proved difficult. Being connected to an influential promoter has always been a key factor for anyone with ambition in professional boxing.

Former amateur boxer Risto Ashikoto feels more competitions and sponsorships must come through in order to raise the skill level of local fighters to international standards.

“Many factors are preventing our progress, but things have also changed compared to the people of the past.

“I think more financial support needs to be given to boxing stables especially those that are developing boxers,” Ashikoto said.

Infighting among boxing stables and politics in the amateur fraternity is believed to have played a role in the slowdown in progress.

Some observers who have supported boxing since childhood reckon boxers of this generation sometimes take on the sport for the wrong reasons.

“There is no doubt that people of the past would fight their hearts out without being consumed by social troubles.

“The current boxers are more focused on the fame than the passion for boxing, which has made it so difficult for them to get anywhere,” boxing lover Benjamin Kandji said.