Kasuto reaches semi-finals

Namibia’s Mejandjae Kasuto reached the semi-finals of the AIBA African Olympic qualifiers when he beat Tunisia’s Merdessi Rached 6-3 on points on Wednesday.

It was not a very attractive bout as both boxers hung on to each other a lot and the referee constantly had to try and separate them. Kasuto however landed the cleaner blows, using his long jab to good effect.Merdassi pressurised Kasuto a lot but the Namibian counter-attacked well with quick combinations.But for the biggest part of the bout the boxers became tangled up and wrestled each other and on several occasions both landed on the canvas.By the final round Kasuto held a narrow two-point advantage and did his best to move around and stay out of range, as Merdassi desperately tried to land a knockout punch.Kasuto managed to hold out for victory, thereby becoming the first Namibian to qualify for the semi-finals.It was however not a good advertisment for boxing and one ringside judge commented that both boxers were lucky not to be disqualified.Kasuto was the only Namibian in action yesterday as the tournament reached the semi-final stage.Some good bouts were seen while the organisation seemed to be in order, although some minor hitches did appear.The TV monitor to relay the scores was faulty at a stage but was later rectified.The boxers also received great support with fans from various African countries present at the tournament.Especially the Zambians have given great support to their boxers, as have the Namibians, Kenyans and South African fans.In some of the best bouts on Wednesday, Bouchtouk Redouane of Morocco beat Hamoud Boubraout of Algeria 15-14 on points, Thomas Kasina of Kenya beat Issah Samir of Ghana 6-3 on points and Nickson Abaka of Kenya beat Precious Makina of Zambia 9-3 on points.DISCONTENT IN NAMIBIAN CAMP Meanwhile the Namibian camp seems to be beset with problems as the boxers still await their full payment.According to the Namibian coach Kennedy Muatara the boxers have only received half of their N$4 000 preparation fees for the tournament.”My boxers are not happy and it’s very difficult for me because I am trying to motivate them for their fights while they are being distracted by other issues.We also did not have our full kits and some of the boxers had to borrow boxing clothes from boxers from other countries,” Muatara said.Namibia SportKasuto however landed the cleaner blows, using his long jab to good effect.Merdassi pressurised Kasuto a lot but the Namibian counter-attacked well with quick combinations.But for the biggest part of the bout the boxers became tangled up and wrestled each other and on several occasions both landed on the canvas.By the final round Kasuto held a narrow two-point advantage and did his best to move around and stay out of range, as Merdassi desperately tried to land a knockout punch.Kasuto managed to hold out for victory, thereby becoming the first Namibian to qualify for the semi-finals.It was however not a good advertisment for boxing and one ringside judge commented that both boxers were lucky not to be disqualified.Kasuto was the only Namibian in action yesterday as the tournament reached the semi-final stage.Some good bouts were seen while the organisation seemed to be in order, although some minor hitches did appear.The TV monitor to relay the scores was faulty at a stage but was later rectified.The boxers also received great support with fans from various African countries present at the tournament.Especially the Zambians have given great support to their boxers, as have the Namibians, Kenyans and South African fans.In some of the best bouts on Wednesday, Bouchtouk Redouane of Morocco beat Hamoud Boubraout of Algeria 15-14 on points, Thomas Kasina of Kenya beat Issah Samir of Ghana 6-3 on points and Nickson Abaka of Kenya beat Precious Makina of Zambia 9-3 on points. DISCONTENT IN NAMIBIAN CAMP Meanwhile the Namibian camp seems to be beset with problems as the boxers still await their full payment.According to the Namibian coach Kennedy Muatara the boxers have only received half of their N$4 000 preparation fees for the tournament.”My boxers are not happy and it’s very difficult for me because I am trying to motivate them for their fights while they are being distracted by other issues.We also did not have our full kits and some of the boxers had to borrow boxing clothes from boxers from other countries,” Muatara said.Namibia Sport