MTC Sunshine Academy leading lights Jeremiah ‘Lowkey’ Nakathila and Mateus ‘The Beast’ Heita plan to upstage American protégés Abdullah Mason and Bruce Carrington in their backyard this month.
Nakathila (26-4, 21 KOs) left for Norfolk, Virginia yesterday ahead of Saturday’s fight against 21 year-old Mason in the co-main event to American Keyshawn Davis’ WBO lightweight title defence against Edwin De Los Santos of the Dominican Republic.
The heavy-handed Namibian veteran (35) intends to blot Mason’s copy by handing him a first professional career defeat and thrusting himself back in contention for another tilt at a world title.
“We’re on our way to the United States (US) so we can go and make the country proud,” Nakathila said yesterday.
Mason views Nakathila as a necessary stepping stone towards a world title shot.
“He’s a good step up, he’s a hard-hitter. He let his right hand go, he let his punches go,” Mason told BoxingScene recently.
“He’s just next in line until I get to that world championship.
“I’m just waiting for the championship level,” Mason said of his ambition.
“Anybody at the top, I’ve got my eye on them. All the champions: Keyshawn Davis, Shakur Stevenson, [Gervonta] ‘Tank’ Davis, Raymond Muratalla is now a world champion … I’m ranked number 4 in WBC and 6 in WBO, so I’m right there. I’m right there.”
For all his confidence and budding reputation as a knock-out specialist, Mason showed chinks in his armour in November when he was dropped twice by Yohan Vasquez in the opening round.
However, he recovered to stop his rival in the next round.
Nakathila’s camp said they had been “analysing Mason’s strengths and weaknesses” as they plot a strategy to end a two-fight losing streak in the US.
After a dominant stoppage over ex-world champion Miguel Berchelt in Las Vegas in March 2022, Nakathila suffered successive knock-outs to Murattala and Ernesto Mercado in 2023.
His first foray into the American boxing scene ended in a points loss to Stevenson in June 2021.
Similarly, Heita (14-0, 9 KO) has designs on claiming the vacant WBC interim featherweight world title at the expense of the US’ Bruce ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington (15-0, 9 KO) in New York on 26 July.
Heita believes its his time to be Namibia’s next world champion.
“I have proven to the world that I am a world-class boxer and facing the best has always been my ambition because I believe I am destined for greatness,” Heita says.
“There is nothing special about Carrington; he is simply another challenge I will overcome.”
Carrington also sees himself winning the co-feature to the super welterweight title fight between Xander Zayas of Puerto Rico and Mexican Jorge Garcia Perez.
“The featherweight division is full of champions who have refused my challenge, so I credit Heita for accepting. That said I will take out my frustration on him on 26 July and continue putting the division on notice,” Carrington said in response to Heita.
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