Boxers go into combat

NAMIBIAN boxers will once again be challenged on home soil, but this time, the foreign boxers are in an upbeat mood and confident of going home with the titles.

Namibia’s WBA Pan-African welterweight champion, Jason ‘Taks’ Naule, faces his biggest fight ever and to retain his title, he has to withstand the might of South Africa’s Pius ‘Dida’ Dibheko, who has been outspoken on how desperately he wants the title. The fight will be a close contest and it will even be more worthy if it goes the full distance of 12 rounds as scheduled.Namibian boxers have done well on home soil, but with Dibheko being the champion in his country in that weight class, it would take a great effort from Naule to knock his opponent out.Telecom Namibia has poured in a hefty N$210 000 into the event and it will also see some of Namibia’s fine up-and-coming boxers in contention in the various weight categories.The biller to the main fight will involve Wilbeforce Shihepo, who refers to himself as the ‘Black Mamba’ and Zimbabwe’s Tinei Mharidzo.This fight promises to be produce something special as both boxers have been talking big about taking each other out.Shihepo has a terrific home record, but his opponent thinks that he will walk away with the title.Despite some spectacular fights on the cards, the most important thing is that boxers and officials respect the decisions of the judges in the end.Namibian boxing was recently shocked by a local boxer who grabbed the belt from top political leaders after he did not accept the outcome of the fight.In boxing, tempers are high and sometimes boxers fail to understand why they have lost, but this time, with the Box ‘n Dine being a high-profile event, dramas of that sort should be avoided.Boxers should go out there and prove their mettle in the ring and leave the decisions to the judges.Apart from that, Namibia is producing a number of good professional boxers and it is essential that they be exposed to more fights.Although as a professional it is all about making a career for oneself, these boxers also hold the name of the country high and the financial support for them to engage in more fights will serve a good purpose.The boxing authorities have been pleading for funding and I take my hat off to Telecom Namibia, which has stepped forward and committed itself to helping the boxers further their careers, while at the same time bringing boxing entertainment to the Namibian public.Sometimes the corporate world argues that the administrative aspects of some codes are not sound and well, but I would argue that boxers and officials in that trade have proven that they are progressive and the results are evident from the victories they made.The fight will be a close contest and it will even be more worthy if it goes the full distance of 12 rounds as scheduled.Namibian boxers have done well on home soil, but with Dibheko being the champion in his country in that weight class, it would take a great effort from Naule to knock his opponent out.Telecom Namibia has poured in a hefty N$210 000 into the event and it will also see some of Namibia’s fine up-and-coming boxers in contention in the various weight categories.The biller to the main fight will involve Wilbeforce Shihepo, who refers to himself as the ‘Black Mamba’ and Zimbabwe’s Tinei Mharidzo.This fight promises to be produce something special as both boxers have been talking big about taking each other out.Shihepo has a terrific home record, but his opponent thinks that he will walk away with the title.Despite some spectacular fights on the cards, the most important thing is that boxers and officials respect the decisions of the judges in the end.Namibian boxing was recently shocked by a local boxer who grabbed the belt from top political leaders after he did not accept the outcome of the fight.In boxing, tempers are high and sometimes boxers fail to understand why they have lost, but this time, with the Box ‘n Dine being a high-profile event, dramas of that sort should be avoided.Boxers should go out there and prove their mettle in the ring and leave the decisions to the judges.Apart from that, Namibia is producing a number of good professional boxers and it is essential that they be exposed to more fights.Although as a professional it is all about making a career for oneself, these boxers also hold the name of the country high and the financial support for them to engage in more fights will serve a good purpose.The boxing authorities have been pleading for funding and I take my hat off to Telecom Namibia, which has stepped forward and committed itself to helping the boxers further their careers, while at the same time bringing boxing entertainment to the Namibian public.Sometimes the corporate world argues that the administrative aspects of some codes are not sound and well, but I would argue that boxers and officials in that trade have proven that they are progressive and the results are evident from the victories they made.