Paulinus ‘Jon Jon’ Ndjolonimus’ world title aspirations were put on hold after he suffered a fifth round knockout against Jakob Bank in Kolding, Denmark, on Saturday night.
The fight served as a WBC super middleweight world title eliminator between two highly ranked opponents – with Bank unbeaten after 18 fights and Ndjolonimus with only one loss from 21 fights.
Ndjolonimus started well enough, landing some early jabs, but Bank soon took control with his speed and sharp jab. At the end of the fourth round he was well ahead, leading 40-36 on all three judges scorecards, before knocking Ndjolonimus out in the fifth.
He stunned Ndjolonimus with some heavy body blows and although the Namibian initially tried to continue, he soon sank to his knees and was counted out one minute and 19 seconds into the fifth round.
Despite the defeat, Ndjolinimus’ trainer and promoter, Nestor Tobias, says it was a fine performance by Ndjolonimus.
“He delivered an impressive performance against the undefeated Jacob Bank in Denmark. As is typical for him, he started slowly but quickly began to find his rhythm, landing effective jabs. However, Jacob demonstrated his intelligence in the ring, connecting with solid punches to both the head and body, which put him ahead on points.
“Starting from round five, Ndjolonimus began to make a comeback. Unfortunately, he was caught with a sharp liver punch which is a difficult blow to recover from. This situation reminds us of the legendary bout between Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya for the undisputed championship, where Oscar was ahead on points but ultimately could not beat the count after being hit,” he adds.
“Despite the disappointment, he is doing well. It’s essential to understand that sport involves both winning and losing. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire nation for their tremendous support, and a special acknowledgment goes to our main sponsor, the Mobile Telecommunications Limited and co-sponsor PstBet,” he says.
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