Hitman inspires

AFTER a disastrous year on the international scene for Namibia, Paulus ‘The Hitman’ Moses gave the country a great kick-start to the new year by winning the WBA lightweight world title last weekend. That in itself serves as an inspiration to all young Namibians who want to become world champions.

The 28-year-old policeman set the agenda for 2009 for sport to move into a positive direction all fronts.
The Hitman worked tirelessly for his title win and it only did not pay great dividends for him, but he effectively erased Namibia’s poor year on the sporting scene.
At the same time, he also won the title for Africa as the continent never had a world champion in that division, while he is also the first Namibian to win it in that weight division.
His win clearly epitomised the untapped talent that Namibia has, considering its population of only 2 million people.
I always say that there are many more great champions out there, but they just need to be found.
Some of them have been found, but there are no means to take them to the next level.
Namibia has a great potential of becoming a force in the sporting world if resources are just availed.
The Hitman worked with the little resources he had and knowing that the possessed a huge talent to make it big, persevered and eventually succeeded in his quest to stardom.
The Hitman dreamed of becoming a world champion like any other child does at the moment, but if it was not for his commitment and a discipline, he could have fell out at the first hurdle like many others do at the moment.
In fact, many talented sportsmen and women who show the potential at an early age, fail to blossom into fully fledged athletes mainly due to a lack of funds or no guidance. The lack of proper development structures is also to blame.
In many quarters, Namibia has seen a lot of young sportspeople who showed early signs of becoming world beaters, but they seemed to fade as time goes by.
But sadly, the ones who are given opportunities and funded fully to pursue their careers, often mess it up.
But with The Hitman, coming from a poor background and with virtually no penny in his pocket when he made a trip to Windhoek about 10 years ago in search for a job, he now stands on top of the world.
Not knowing that he will one day get into boxing, The Hitman tried his luck at the sport and his talent was unlocked when he joined Nestor Tobias’s gym.
He never looked back since and credit should also be given to Tobias, who has taught The Hitman the essence of humility and hard work.
In fact, the world championship belt came at a cost after long hours in the gym, early morning hours doing roadwork and some beating from opponents in the ring.
That has earned him a terrific record of 24 wins on a trot in the paid ranks. Every boxer’s dream.
I think it is time that Government initiate a set-up with an eye of turning potential champions into well-oiled machines that can be competitive in world sports.
Companies have to start digging deep and stop dishing out peanuts for the sake of publicity to the athletes.
Many times companies jump onto the bandwagon as they try to be associated with champions, but there is a deafening silence when these sportsmen and women run around looking for assistance to realise their dreams.
I challenge all the big chiefs in the business industry to at least take up one potential athlete and back them full-out to realise their dreams.
Nampower has stood firm behind The Hitman and I will say without fear that it is a shame that other corporate giants, including the Government, have failed to realise the importance of sport and what it means to the country.
Wake up and smell the coffee, sport is a business and can be beneficial in many ways.