Ali too good for Rambo

ALI Nuumbembe wasted little time when he clinically dispatched the rather rusty Frans ‘Rambo’ Hantindi with a second-round knockout in their Namibian welterweight title fight on Friday night.

The fight was stopped after Hantindi, who last fought in November 2006, saw red after a quick but effective combination of head shots from Nuumbembe.Nuumbembe, dubbed the ‘Silent Assassin’ was clearly no match for Hantidi, who hardly landed any punches that mattered.Hantindi had to gasp for air early in the first rounds already, as he was on the receiving end of prolific jabs from Nuumbembe, who showed his old form of well-timed inside punches and good follow-ups.Nuumbembe had his opponent hanging onto the ropes twice with massive body blows in both rounds, but his best for the night was the unanswered assortment of combinations towards Hantindi who looked too capable of going the distance in what was supposed to be a 10-rounder.Nuumbembe was initially supposed to fight against South Africa’s Alwyn Mahonisi for the World Boxing Association (WBO) African welterweight title, but was instead asked to fight Hantindi after the foreign boxer pulled out at the last minute.Nuumbembe increased his professional career to 27 fights with 22 wins and will now look forward to a shot at an African title after two of his attempts for it could not be realised.His two possible attempts to capture that title did not materialise, due to opponents who pull out at the last minute.In possibly the highlight of the evening, Martin Haikali wrested the Namibian lightweight title from countryman Peter Malakia in what turned out to be a close fight.Haikali won on a split decision after the judges scored 98-93, 94-98 and 96-94 in his favour.The fight produced all the sparks and had at least 2 000 spectators in attendance glued to it, as drama unfolded minute after minute.The fight was too close to call as both boxers went at each other with no mercy, with some spectators arguing that a draw could have been a fair reflection. But the decision had other intentions though.In other fights, Wilbeforce ‘Black Mamba’ Shihepo was disqualified in the super middleweight fight after he punched his South African opponent, Immanuel Duma, at the back of his head.Referee Joe Kaperu had already tried to stop the fight to separate the two boxers from holding onto each other, but Shihepo still went on to throw the late punch.Shihepo could have taken his time to finish off the South African, who appeared inferior in technique and composure, but his haste and lack of discipline let him down and ultimately cost him the fight.Sackey ‘Izi-Nyooka’ Shikukutu’s fight did not last against Daniel ‘Open Fire’ Kashela, after the latter was given a first-round knockout in a junior welterweight fight.Kashela, who generally defends poorly, was caught on the head several times and failed to recover each time, leaving the quick-stepping Shikukutu to feast on him at will. Shikukutu extended his pro record to 7 fights without a loss.Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda was also too superior for Matthew Niitembu, when he sent him to the canvass through a KO in the second round of their bantamweight fight. Ambunda is now undefeated after 6 fights in his pro career.Abraham Ndaedapo won through a unanimous decision in his junior lightweight fight against Samuel Kapapu, while Pohamba Mandume won his first pro-debut lightweight bout against countryman, Daniel Hosea, through a second-round knockout.Hosea was also stepping into the ring for the first time as a professional, but could not contain the pressure of his opponent, until he hit the floor in the second round.corry@namibian.com.na