Windhoek
Never in the short history of professional boxing in Namibia has a curtain-raiser bout attracted so much interest, to the extent that it has dwarfed the main bout, a world title defense for that matter.
The main undercard bout, featuring two of the country’s most skillful boxers, pound for pound, in the shape of veteran boxer Betuel ‘Tyson’ Ushona and overwhelming crowd favourite Sacky ‘Izinyoka’ Shikukutu, promises to be a serious crackerjack affair at the Ramatex Hall on December 5.
The pair will square off in a rare all-Namibian affair when Ushona puts his International Boxing Organisation (IBO) Africa Welterweight title at stake against the action-starved Shikukutu, who last fought in August.
Rolling back the years, it was the packed-to-rafters Windhoek showground arena that saw the very same Ushona teach his then adopted Mancunean opponent, Paulus ‘Ali’ Nuumbembe, a boxing lesson never to be forgotten in the fight for the vacant national welterweight title.
Now, exactly over a decade later, local boxing fans are readying themselves to witness another high-profile fight, featuring two of the finest boxers in the business. With both boxers coming to the tie armed with impressive resumes, a boxing bonanza of the kind not seen in a long time – featuring compatriots – is sure to attract boxing fans.
In head-to-head comparisons, Izinyoka enjoys a slight edge over his more experienced opponent with 21 wins, 3 defeats and 1 draw, while 14 of his victories finished inside the distance – certainly a remarkable feat.
Ushona too is a skillful veteran of 33 wins, 3 losses and 1 technical draw, with 9 knockouts to his credit from 37 bouts in the paid ranks. The highly anticipated fight will be one of the main undercard bouts to Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda’s IBO Super Bantamweight World title defence against Australian Jason ‘Nugget’ Cooper.
Tickets to the event are on sale at Computicket outlets, with general tickets going for N$100, VIP for N$500 and the VVIP tables for N$10 000.