Mixed fortunes for Namibian boxers

Namibian boxers had mixed fortunes on the opening day of the second African Boxing Qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games on Monday.

In the 69kg category, Desmond Kasuto qualified for the second round while Tobias Munihango also won his first-round bout in the 91kg category. In the 64kg category Titus Joseph however suffered the ignominy of being the first boxer to be knocked out at the tournament, while Walter Kautondokwa lost his first- round bout to an opponent from Nigeria in the 75kg category.With a total of 29 places still available for the Olympic Games in Beijing, the tournament has seen a great turnout with more than 100 boxers from 26 African countries present at the opening ceremony on Monday afternoon.The occasion was attended by Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, John Mutorwa, the president of AIBA Africa, Dr Abdallah Bensallem, and the president of the Namibian Boxing Federation, Kelly Nghixulifwa.In his keynote address Mutorwa thanked AIBA for selecting Namibia to host the event, saying that it did so out of a sense of solidarity with their African brothers.”Our journey to attain independence was very protracted and various nations participating here contributed towards Namibia’s freedom in one way or another.Our independence was achieved through national sacrifice but also international solidarity and support.Therefore it is an honour for us but also a duty and obligation to Africa to host this tournament,” he said.Impressive performance by Kasuto In the 69kg category, Desmond Kasuto gave a great performance to comfortably beat Scott Eguabor of Nigeria 13-1 on points.Kasuto moved freely around the ring and constantly landed quick jabs to pick up points, while the Nigerian missed a lot.When Kasuto was cornered he easily managed to get out of trouble with quick combinations and gave a good all-round performance.In the 91kg category Namibia’s Tobias Munihango easily beat his Gabonese opponent 14-1 on points.He dominated the early rounds with his strong jabs.His opponent made a strong comeback in the final round but by then Munihango was too far ahead.Namibia’s team manager, Elia Irimari, was not too happy with Munihango’s performance.”I was not happy with his form and he acknowledged that he was not at his best.But from here on he can only improve,” he said.Joseph knocked out In the 69kg category Namibia’s Titus Joseph did not last long as he was knocked out by Chris Chiotcha of Malawi in the first round.Joseph managed to land a few solid jabs but Chiotcha knocked him down with a solid right.Joseph managed to get up, but went down for a second time and the referee stopped the fight.In the 75kg category, Kautondokwa gave a good account of himself before losing 7-4 on points to Edmund Danuloko of Nigeria.Kautondokwa impressed with a solid jab but his workrate was a bit slow as the Nigerian landed more punches.Irimari said he was not too concerned about Joseph and Kautondokwa’s defeats.”They are still inexperienced and need to first build up international experience.But I thought Walter could have done better and could have won his fight,” he said.In the afternoon session yesterday, Namibia’s Johannes “Baluka” Simon won his first-round bout in the 51kg category.Simon comfortably beat Denis Nyolo Nyebe of Cameroon 14-3 on points.Simon raked up the points with a quick jab and fast combinations, and in the later rounds stated fooling around and showboating.The quarterfinals are scheduled for today while tomorrow is a rest day.The semifinals take place on Friday and the finals on Saturday.In the 64kg category Titus Joseph however suffered the ignominy of being the first boxer to be knocked out at the tournament, while Walter Kautondokwa lost his first- round bout to an opponent from Nigeria in the 75kg category.With a total of 29 places still available for the Olympic Games in Beijing, the tournament has seen a great turnout with more than 100 boxers from 26 African countries present at the opening ceremony on Monday afternoon.The occasion was attended by Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, John Mutorwa, the president of AIBA Africa, Dr Abdallah Bensallem, and the president of the Namibian Boxing Federation, Kelly Nghixulifwa.In his keynote address Mutorwa thanked AIBA for selecting Namibia to host the event, saying that it did so out of a sense of solidarity with their African brothers.”Our journey to attain independence was very protracted and various nations participating here contributed towards Namibia’s freedom in one way or another.Our independence was achieved through national sacrifice but also international solidarity and support.Therefore it is an honour for us but also a duty and obligation to Africa to host this tournament,” he said. Impressive performance by Kasuto In the 69kg category, Desmond Kasuto gave a great performance to comfortably beat Scott Eguabor of Nigeria 13-1 on points.Kasuto moved freely around the ring and constantly landed quick jabs to pick up points, while the Nigerian missed a lot.When Kasuto was cornered he easily managed to get out of trouble with quick combinations and gave a good all-round performance.In the 91kg category Namibia’s Tobias Munihango easily beat his Gabonese opponent 14-1 on points.He dominated the early rounds with his strong jabs.His opponent made a strong comeback in the final round but by then Munihango was too far ahead.Namibia’s team manager, Elia Irimari, was not too happy with Munihango’s performance.”I was not happy with his form and he acknowledged that he was not at his best.But from here on he can only improve,” he said. Joseph knocked out In the 69kg category Namibia’s Titus Joseph did not last long as he was knocked out by Chris Chiotcha of Malawi in the first round.Joseph managed to land a few solid jabs but Chiotcha knocked him down with a solid right.Joseph managed to get up, but went down for a second time and the referee stopped the fight.In the 75kg category, Kautondokwa gave a good account of himself before losing 7-4 on points to Edmund Danuloko of Nigeria.Kautondokwa impressed with a solid jab but his workrate was a bit slow as the Nigerian landed more punches.Irimari said he was not too concerned about Joseph and Kautondokwa’s defeats.”They are still inexperienced and need to first build up international experience.But I thought Walter could have done better and could have won his fight,” he said.In the afternoon session yesterday, Namibia’s Johannes “Baluka” Simon won his first-round bout in the 51kg category.Simon comfortably beat Denis Nyolo Nyebe of Cameroon 14-3 on points.Simon raked up the points with a quick jab and fast combinations, and in the later rounds stated fooling around and showboating.The quarterfinals are scheduled for today while tomorrow is a rest day.The semifinals take place on Friday and the finals on Saturday.