Hitman wins in Ukraine

PROLIFIC Namibian boxer Paulus ‘Hitman’ Moses proved once again that he is a natural champion when he knocked out Ukraine’s Andrei Kudriavtsev in Donetsk on Tuesday night.

The Namibian was defending his World Boxing Association (WBA) Inter-Continental lightweight title and has now taken his tally to 21 fights without a defeat. Moses won through a technical knockout in the ninth round after he produced an excellent performance in most rounds.The win makes him the number one challenger for the WBA lightweight title.Namibia Sport magazine yesterday quoted Moses’s trainer and boxing promoter, Nestor Tobias, as saying that Hitman is a great fighter and a great champion.”His opponent was very tough and it was a close fight, but the Hitman gave a great performance and was in the lead from the start,” Tobias said when contacted in Donetsk by Namibia Sport.”The Hitman was quicker and more skilful, and when he knocked Kudriavtsev out he was leading by two points on all the judges’ scorecards,” Tobias added.According to Tobias, Moses was in control from the start and built up points with his quick jab.Kudriavtsev tried to land some heavy punches but Moses managed to stay out of trouble by moving quickly around the ring.The Hitman kept on scoring points with his crisp jab, while Kudriavtsev never had him in trouble.By the ninth round Moses was slightly ahead on points, but he decided to finish the fight when his chance came.Moses knocked Kudriavtsev down with a right uppercut after two minutes into the ninth round and although the Ukrainian managed to get up, Moses was once again all over him.He immediately put him down a second time with a quick combination, but once again Kudriavtsev beat the count.Moses immediately attacked and put him down a third time, and although the bell sounded for the end of the round, the bell could not save him and he was counted out.Namibian super-middleweight champion Vikapita Meroro was less fortunate, as he narrowly lost on points to Ukraine’s Stan Kastanov.They were fighting it out for the Junior Super-Middleweight world title and Meroro gave a brave display before losing by a solitary point after 10 rounds.”Meroro gave an impressive performance and nearly knocked out Kastanov in the ninth and tenth rounds.But Kastanov was strong and he survived and in the end won by a single point,” Tobias said.It was Meroro’s first defeat as a professional boxer, but Tobias said it would not detrimentally affect his career.”He is a young kid and he impressed me with the way that he fought.He didn’t lose anything, but gained a lot of experience and respect,” Tobias said.Additional reporting by Namibia SportMoses won through a technical knockout in the ninth round after he produced an excellent performance in most rounds.The win makes him the number one challenger for the WBA lightweight title.Namibia Sport magazine yesterday quoted Moses’s trainer and boxing promoter, Nestor Tobias, as saying that Hitman is a great fighter and a great champion.”His opponent was very tough and it was a close fight, but the Hitman gave a great performance and was in the lead from the start,” Tobias said when contacted in Donetsk by Namibia Sport.”The Hitman was quicker and more skilful, and when he knocked Kudriavtsev out he was leading by two points on all the judges’ scorecards,” Tobias added.According to Tobias, Moses was in control from the start and built up points with his quick jab.Kudriavtsev tried to land some heavy punches but Moses managed to stay out of trouble by moving quickly around the ring.The Hitman kept on scoring points with his crisp jab, while Kudriavtsev never had him in trouble.By the ninth round Moses was slightly ahead on points, but he decided to finish the fight when his chance came.Moses knocked Kudriavtsev down with a right uppercut after two minutes into the ninth round and although the Ukrainian managed to get up, Moses was once again all over him.He immediately put him down a second time with a quick combination, but once again Kudriavtsev beat the count.Moses immediately attacked and put him down a third time, and although the bell sounded for the end of the round, the bell could not save him and he was counted out.Namibian super-middleweight champion Vikapita Meroro was less fortunate, as he narrowly lost on points to Ukraine’s Stan Kastanov.They were fighting it out for the Junior Super-Middleweight world title and Meroro gave a brave display before losing by a solitary point after 10 rounds.”Meroro gave an impressive performance and nearly knocked out Kastanov in the ninth and tenth rounds.But Kastanov was strong and he survived and in the end won by a single point,” Tobias said.It was Meroro’s first defeat as a professional boxer, but Tobias said it would not detrimentally affect his career.”He is a young kid and he impressed me with the way that he fought.He didn’t lose anything, but gained a lot of experience and respect,” Tobias said.Additional reporting by Namibia Sport