Naule to vie for WBA Pan African title

NAMIBIA will be expecting to see local boxing sensation Jason ‘Taks’ Naule going up the boxing ladder as he prepares to vie for the World Boxing Association Pan African junior welterweight title in March.

Naule will square up against South Africa’s Lourence Ngobeni for the title, which will be decided at the Windhoek Country Club on March 21. So far, ‘Rambo’ Hantindi and Moses ‘The Hitman’ Paulus are the only boxers who have won WBA Pan African titles in their respective weight categories.Naule will be given a chance to clinch that title on Namibia’s Independence Day.His trainer, Nestor Tobias, yesterday said his boxer wanted to go a step further and they decided that he would fight for the title, as he has a credible record at this stage.Naule has won all nine of his professional fights to date and has recorded seven technical knockouts (TKOs).Tobias said the fight would not be easy because of the wealth of experience that the South African opponent has.Ngobeni is set to step into the ring for the 43rd time against Naule.He has so far won 30 fights, but has lost 12.He is a three time South African champion.In his career as a national team boxer, the 26-year-old Naule has won two silver medals at the Zone Six Games in 2002 and 2003, while he also reached the quarter-finals at the All Africa Games held in Nigeria in 2003.His last fight was against South Africa’s Peter Adams at the Ongwediva Trade Centre, which he won through a TKO last year.Tobias said if Naule wins, they would aim for more international titles, with the aim of at least placing the boxer in the world rankings before he can challenge for world titles.He said this year he is going to create opportunities for most of his fighters to have a go at bigger titles for them to realise their dreams of becoming world champions.Naule trained for the entire festive season, with the exception of Christmas Day.”I want to reach the highest level in the sport and that is of becoming a world champion one day,” Naule said.Tobias has about 50 amateur fighters and 14 professional fighters at his gym, which operates under the name of Nestor Sunshine Tobias Boxing and Fitness Academy.He said the gym has become too small and he needs assistance from the public and the private sector to expand the facility, which will also see more boxers joining because of the high interest in the sport.”People should invest in the development of the sport.A gym for example will be a good investment for the boxers to set forth their wishes of fighting at the top level one day,” he said.He added that it would also be good if the Government and the private sector can look at building a multi-purpose centre in Windhoek, as there is currently none.He said venues for boxing encounters are too small and spectators are not happy with that when they want to watch their favourite boxers in action.So far, ‘Rambo’ Hantindi and Moses ‘The Hitman’ Paulus are the only boxers who have won WBA Pan African titles in their respective weight categories.Naule will be given a chance to clinch that title on Namibia’s Independence Day.His trainer, Nestor Tobias, yesterday said his boxer wanted to go a step further and they decided that he would fight for the title, as he has a credible record at this stage.Naule has won all nine of his professional fights to date and has recorded seven technical knockouts (TKOs).Tobias said the fight would not be easy because of the wealth of experience that the South African opponent has.Ngobeni is set to step into the ring for the 43rd time against Naule.He has so far won 30 fights, but has lost 12.He is a three time South African champion.In his career as a national team boxer, the 26-year-old Naule has won two silver medals at the Zone Six Games in 2002 and 2003, while he also reached the quarter-finals at the All Africa Games held in Nigeria in 2003.His last fight was against South Africa’s Peter Adams at the Ongwediva Trade Centre, which he won through a TKO last year.Tobias said if Naule wins, they would aim for more international titles, with the aim of at least placing the boxer in the world rankings before he can challenge for world titles.He said this year he is going to create opportunities for most of his fighters to have a go at bigger titles for them to realise their dreams of becoming world champions.Naule trained for the entire festive season, with the exception of Christmas Day.”I want to reach the highest level in the sport and that is of becoming a world champion one day,” Naule said.Tobias has about 50 amateur fighters and 14 professional fighters at his gym, which operates under the name of Nestor Sunshine Tobias Boxing and Fitness Academy.He said the gym has become too small and he needs assistance from the public and the private sector to expand the facility, which will also see more boxers joining because of the high interest in the sport.”People should invest in the development of the sport.A gym for example will be a good investment for the boxers to set forth their wishes of fighting at the top level one day,” he said.He added that it would also be good if the Government and the private sector can look at building a multi-purpose centre in Windhoek, as there is currently none.He said venues for boxing encounters are too small and spectators are not happy with that when they want to watch their favourite boxers in action.