Govt eyes Hitman’s fight

GOVERNMENT will go the extra mile to ensure that the WBA lightweight title defence of Paulus ‘The Hitman’ Moses, which will cost at least N$7 million, is held in Namibia, Sport Deputy Minister Pohamba Shifeta said yesterday.

Pohamba said Namibia owes it to Moses and will do anything in its power to raise the needed funds to stage the fight for his title defence, which is expected in October this year.
Moses won his world title after defeating Japan’s Yusuke Kobori in a 12-rounder at Yokohama’s Pacifico in Japan on January 3 this year.
He is also the current World Boxing Association (WBA) Pan-African and Intercontinental champion in that division with 24 undefeated fights. He has a superb record of 17 knockouts (KOs).
Trainer and promoter Nestor Tobias said roughly N$7 million would be needed to stage a voluntary title defence in Namibia.
Moses can choose to defend his title against any boxer ranked in the top 15 on the WBA list, but the mandatory fight – a maximum of nine months after winning the title – has to be against the highest ranked boxer in that weight category.
The mandatory fight, if held in Namibia, is estimated to cost at least N$10 million.
Pohamba said Moses has inspired a lot of young Namibians and is currently the only one in the country and on the African continent to have achieved the feat of capturing the lightweight title.
‘He has really inspired many people. He has proven that through dedication and hard work, one can ultimately reach the highest levels in sport. Moses has done Namibia proud and is a perfect example of a world-class athlete in this particular discipline,’ he said.
He said Government supports many other codes at the moment, but argues that the achievement by Moses is phenomenal and deserves the support of everyone, especially the private sector.
If Moses loses the voluntary title defence, which is expected at the end of April, the promoters, in this case Tobias and American Don King, can ask the new winner in their contract to first defend his title against Moses.
If Moses wins the voluntary title defence, he will keep the title until he faces the mandatory challenger later this year.
Pohamba assured the public that Government will go out of its way to raise the needed funds for the voluntary defence and will involve all stakeholders to make it possible.
‘We don’t want our champion to go and face an international audience again. We want the fight to take place at home and it will also have economic benefits for our country,’ he said.
He said it was tough to fight abroad, but for Moses, it was a matter of commitment and realising that he needed to bring the best out of him in order to beat Kobori on his home turf.
Tobias said there are no opponents that have been identified in the top 15 bracket yet, but he is currently in talks with the agents of some of the boxers to hook up a fight for the Namibian.
Moses has recovered well from the injury to his right hand that he sustained in the seventh round of his title fight against Kobori.