World title first for Namibia

NAMIBIA’S champion boxer, Paulus ‘The Hitman’ Moses will become the first man ever to fight in a world title fight on Namibian soil come Saturday.

We are currently starring into the biggest fight of the year, when The Hitman faces The Samurai (Takehiro Shimada) from Japan at the Windhoek Country Club.Namibian boxing fans who have been craving for some ring action, are surely pleased to hear that there are six exciting undercards billed for the night before the main fight.If one reads into the names of the undercard boxers, it is evident that these are the finest fighters on Namibian soil.Also, there will be two title fights which are set to be rather explosive, while the visiting South Africans who will also trade blows against the locals, better come prepared.We will see three South African boxers who have never stepped foot in this country, except for welterweight fighter Welcome Tshangile.A warning to the three newcomers is that you are entering one of the most dangerous boxing rings and the chances that you will walk away with victory are slim or virtually non-existent. Namibian boxers are with no doubt great warriors and never give up, while they rarely lose on home turf.Over the years, the locals have punched their way to many victories here and they continued to do so internationally and I personally think that it will be no different on Saturday.So, for the visitors, please give a good account of yourself and don’t embarrass yourself by being knocked out in the early rounds.For the Japanese challenger, prepare yourself for the toughest fight of your life and please ensure that we see the best in you. This is a world title fight and, seriously, we don’t want a sloppy fight with no excitement.But knowing the capabilities of The Hitman, I am convienced that he will dish out some awesome punches and I hope that Shamida will be confident enough to absorb them. The main fight will temporarily put to a stop the troubles that all these boxers have in their bid to make it big in the sport and will bring the excitement they crave for when they step into the ring.Also, history will be made in various ways, with Nestor Tobias being the first ever Namibian boxing promoter to bring such as fight here.It will also be the first time that a Japanese boxer will take on a Namibian in a world title fight in Windhoek. Boxing is generally underrated in the country. There is little funding coming its way to turn the hordes of talented boxers into champions.On the amateur level, the sport is growing, but still, they too struggle with funding and don’t compete internationally as much as they are supposed to.The professionals look after themselves in their little ways, as the few promoters in the country try to put up fights locally, while some even get a chance to try their luck for the big time in various countries, especially southern Africa.But despite that, focus will be on boxing this weekend and it will be good to see people coming for the fight to support the local boys.Most of the Namibian boxers have fantastic records and it will be good to see a lot of support to carry them through to wins on the night.I would like to congratulate Tobias for his hardwork in promoting the sport and ensuring that the first ever WBA lightweight world title fight takes place here.He has done his bit for Namibian boxing on both the amateur and pro-ranks levels and continues to do so. Bravo Nestor! corry@namibian.com.na