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AC Promotions announce major fights

Promoter Imms Moses (centre) with Charles Shinima and Flame Nangolo. Photo: Helge Schütz

Boxing promoter Immanuel Moses yesterday announced two major fights that his company AC Promotions have secured for March 2025. 

Namibia’s former WBO Africa welterweight champion Charles Shinima will take on Brandon Thysse of South Africa for the WBC Silver Welterweight title at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg on 8 March, while Flame ‘Special One’ Nangolo will fight an as yet, unnamed opponent, for the vacant WBO Africa Super featherweight title in Windhoek on 29 March. 

“It’s a very big fight for Charles – it’s being promoted by Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves and it will be live on SuperSport. Charles is a very good fighter with a good record and if he wins this fight he will get a top 15 world ranking,” Moses said at a press conference yesterday. 

Shinima won his first 17 pro fights in a row, winning the WBO Africa welterweight title in the process, but suffered his first defeat against Denis Nurja in Albania last March. 

In his first comeback fight in September last year, he beat Stefanus Kakololo on a third round knockout, and yesterday said he was determined to win the title. 

“It’s a huge opportunity for me to fight for the WBC Silver Welterweight title and I’m not going to just leave it like that. We already started preparing in December and we are busy doing what we have to do, we have a few weeks to go still so we are just going to sharpen it up and we assure the nation that we are going to win,” he said.

“If you compare me to Brendan Thysse, I think I’ve got a better chance of winning. I believe in myself, and I assure the nation that I’m going to win this fight. I’m going to do my best during training and will make sure that I bring the title home,” he added. 

Thysse has a record of 17 wins (13 by knockout), four defeats and one draw, while he is the third-ranked super welterweight in South Africa, behind Shervantaigh Koopman and Roarke Knapp.

In 2023 he challenged Koopman for the SA super welterweight title, but was knocked out in the third round, but since then he has won two fights, regaining the SA title that had gone vacant, with an eighth round TKO against Junior Makondo in October last year. 

Nangolo, meanwhile, has been offered an opportunity to fight for the vacant WBO Super Featherweight title and will take on an as yet unnamed opponent at the Roman Catholic Hall on 29 March. 

Nangolo is unbeaten after 12 pro fights and in his last fight in September 2024 won the WBA Africa super featherweight title in stunning style when he knocked out Peter Pambeni of Zimbabwe after barely a minute of the first round. 

Now he has been granted an opportunity to add the WBO Africa title to his list and Moses called on local boxers to come forward to take up the opportunity. 

“If any promoter in Namibia or any coach has a boxer that is qualified to fight for the WBO Africa super featherweight title and you have a good record, now is your chance, because we want to give local boxers the first option to fight for the title,” he said. 

“People always say that Special One hasn’t fought anyone of note, but now they have an opportunity to fight him,” he added. 

Nangolo, meanwhile, recently returned from a training camp in Las Vegas where he sparred against some of the top up and coming US boxers like DJ Zamora, Bruce Carrington and Curmel Moton, and said it was a great experience. 

“It was the best training camp of my life, I had great sparring partners and worked with one of the most experienced US coaches, Kay Koroma. It was a big inspiration for me, so now it’s just up to me to make the step-up to the next level,” he said. 

Regarding his upcoming fight he said he will take on anybody. 

“This is one of the most important fights in my life, and I’m very thankful for it. I dont have any opponents yet, but we are looking at the likes of Lowkey Nakathila, Sebastian Nathaneal or Martin Mukungu. The ball is now in their court – we’ll be waiting for a call, so Lowkey, what’s up?,’ he said. 

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