Ambunda still Rock solid

PAULUS Ambunda says losing his IBO world title to American Stephen Fulton on Saturday has not dented his reputation, and he still has plenty of fight in him.

The 38-year-old lost a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision to Fulton Jr, who won every round on all three scorecards with identical 122-107 scores to relegate ‘The Rock’ to former champion status.

“It was a great experience. I picked up a lot. We have to go back to the drawing board,” Ambunda said in an interview with Namibian Community USA.

Fulton (24) employed a stiff left jab and superior speed, length and an eighth-round knockdown to remain undefeated at 16-0 (7 KOs), while Ambunda, (38) fell to 27-3 (11 KOs). While the rising American said the bout had been “easier than I expected” as the wide margin of victory showed, Ambunda feels it was much closer.

“The fight was good. It was a 50/50 thing, although the other guy was too smart for me on the day. It was his day, and it was my bad day. He was not stronger than me. I will bounce back,” Ambunda said.

The ex-WBO world champion believes the defeat has not harmed his chances of getting another fight in the lucrative US market.

“If I am not mistaken, it [next fight] will be in Las Vegas. In a few months, we’ll be back and have a good time,” said Ambunda.

“It’s a big moment for me to come to America, the mother of all boxing. I should have come here earlier. I think that would have encouraged younger fighters back home to do the same.

“If you are just in Namibia or in Africa and you’ve never come here, then you can’t consider yourself a boxer,” he noted.

His manager Nicky Natangwe saw a great performance from both fighters.

“We didn’t underestimate him [Fulton Jr]. We put up a good fight. We’ve accepted the loss, even though we did not expect to lose,” said Natangwe.

For Fulton, the result amplifies his case for more elite fights against the division’s top pugilists. It does not, however, represent the decline of Ambunda, his trainer Immanuel Moses argued.

“He’s not as young as Fulton. Ambunda has been fighting tough guys for years. I know he’s 38, but he’s still got fights in him, maybe four or five. You can just tell by his actions,” Moses said.

“When you look at his performance, that was a great one that he put up. He showed he has the heart of a lion. He didn’t just come for a pay day. You find fighters who come here, step in the ring, and in the second round they take a dive,” Moses continued.

“He got dropped in round eight, and jumped up and got back into action. He’s a former WBO champion and two-time IBO champion, so a guy like him will be remembered as a legend in Namibia alongside Harry Simon, Paulus Hitman Moses and Julius Indongo for his achievements. He still has what it takes to add to his achievements.”

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