WINDHOEK – World Boxing Organization (WBO) Africa Super Middleweight champion, Wilberforce Shihepo, retained his belt after an unconvincing unanimous decision triumph over a stubborn Johannes “Tito” Mwetupanga in the main supporting bout at the Windhoek Country Club on Saturday night.
The under-card bout attracted massive interest from the paying public as a result of the pre-fight insults that flew around between the two boxers, with Shihepo being the most vocal and promising to beat the lights out of his opponent in their 12-round bout.
However, the more streetwise and skillful Mwetupanga proved a tough nut to crack and managed to fend off the onslaught by the muscular Shihepo in the opening four rounds before building momentum, as he planted some decent punches that had the flamboyant champion in a state of confusion.
In the end, the result was a fair reflection of the otherwise closely contested battle, but Shihepo was left with much work to do ahead of his next title defence as he demonstrated a serious lack of understanding of the basics of the trade.
In the best fight of the night, crowd favourite Sackey “Izinyoka” Shikukutu was back at his best when he demolished Tommy Hango in a one-sided encounter via a 10th round stoppage that saw him unleash a vicious left hook just one-minute-and-53-seconds into the 10th round of their 12-round bout.
The hard-hitting Shikukutu was in total control of proceedings from the outset and it came as no surprise when he knocked the lights out of his out-of-sorts opponent to claim the vacant WBO Africa Interim Welterweight belt.
In the main bout, WBO Africa Interim Bantamweight champion Imms “Prince” Naindjala had an easy payday in his non-title international bout against the hard-as-nails Luis Singo.
The stocky boxer from Ecuador found himself on the receiving end of Naindjala’s merciless punches and visited the canvas quite frequently but somehow managed to beat the count on each occasion.
The one-sided contest came to an abrupt end when Naindjala accidentally caught his opponent with an elbow – causing a gash above Singo’s left eye.
The Namibian was rightly declared the winner by a technical decision since he was way ahead on points after 8 rounds.
The rule clearly states that if the fight has gone beyond four rounds in such an event – the boxer with the most points will be declared the winner.
Junior Lightweight rookie boxer Toivo Mukwendje extended his winning streak to two out of two fights since joining the paid ranks. Mukwendje defeated fellow rookie Mathias Johannes with a technical knockout (TKO) in the 2nd round. Sakaria Lukas easily waltzed past David Egumbo with a 2nd round stoppage in their catch weight non-title four rounder.
Peter “The Butcher” Malakia’s woes in the boxing ring continued after he was sent packing with a controversial 2nd TKO for the vacant National Lightweight title against Samuel Kapapu.
Immanuel Andeleki came out tops in his lightweight non-title four rounder against Leonard Shemuvalula – winning on points.

http://www.newera.com.na/articles/47553/From-motor-mouth-to-bloodied-mouth—-as-Tito-matches-Shihepo-pound-for-pound

BLOODY ENCOUNTER … Johannes Mwetupunga and Wilbeforce Shihepo in action during their WBO Africa Super Middleweight fight on Saturday night.

IMMANUEL Naidjala beat Luis Singo of Ecuador in the main bout, but it was a bloody encounter between Wilberforce Shihepo and Johannes Mwetupunga that stole the show at Saturday night’s boxing bonanza a the Windhoek Country Club.

Wilberforce ‘Black Mamba’ Shihepo defended his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title against Johannes ‘Tito’ Mwetupunga in an explosive and bloody encounter over 12 rounds that had the crowd up on its feet and shouting for more from the start.
The fight started dramatically as Shihepo knocked Mwetupunga down twice in the first round, but Mwetupunga was soon up again and fought back bravely.
At the end of the round, Shihepo was also warned for a late blow when he hit Mwetupunga on the ground at the end of the round.
Shihepo continued to stagger Mwetupunga with some heavy blows but Mwetupunga gave as good as he got and opened up a cut above Shihepo’s eye by the second round.
The fight took a dramatic turn in the fourth round when the boxers’ heads clashed which opened a gash on Mwetupunga’s forehead and on Shihepo’s left eye. For the remainder of the fight blood streamed down both boxers’ faces but the ring doctor allowed the fight to continue.
Shihepo had the more powerful punches but Mwetupunga was quicker, landing numerous counterattacks that had the crowd up on its feet, shouting, “Tito, Tito, Tito.”
Shihepo once again knocked Mwetupunga down to the canvas in the eighth round but he got up and gave as good as he got to see out the 12 rounds.
Shihepo was a comfortable winner on points to retain his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title, with the three judges all ruling in his favour – 117-109, 114-112, 117-110.

NAIDJALA REMAINS UNBEATEN

Immanuel Naidjala maintained his unbeaten record as a pro boxer when he beat Luis Singo of Ecuador in the main bout.
Naidjala was well ahead on points when the referee stopped the fight on the advice of the ring doctor after an accidental clash of heads.
Naidjala was leading 68-61, 70-59, 70-59 when the fight was stopped. Naidjala knocked Singo down three times but the nuggety Ecuadorean got up each time and frustrated Naidjala by continuously moving out of each.
Naidjala once again impressed with his speed and landed some sharp combinations but Singo was an elusive target and also landed some good punches on the counterattack.
Naidjala’s frustrations boiled over when he twice knocked Singo down after the bell in the third and the sixth rounds.
The end came midway through the eighth round when Singo got a cut on his head after a clash of heads. The ring doctor inspected the cut and on his recommendation the fight was stopped.
Naidjala is now unbeaten after 15 pro fights, while Singo’s record stands at 14 wins 11 defeats and 2 draws.

SHIKUKUTU BEATS HANGO IN REMATCH

In another exciting match-up Tommy Hango lost his WBO Africa interim welterweight title when he was knocked out by Sacky Shikukutu in the tenth round.
Hango won the title when he beat Shikukutu on points in their first encounter in June, but this time Shikukutu was too strong for him as he regularly landed sharp uppercuts to the body throughout the fight.
Hango fought back bravely, going toe-to-toe with Shikukutu, but Shikukutu’s heavy blows started to take effect midway through the fight.
The end came after 1:53 in the tenth round when Shikukutu sent Hango crashing to the canvas with a right hook and although he tried to get up, he could not beat the count.
Samuel Kapapu won the Namibian national lightweight title with a second-round technical knockout of Peter Malakia.
Kapapu sent Malakia to the canvas in the first round and although Malakia saw out the round, Kapapu was all over him in the second, before the referee stopped the fight after 2:38.
In other fights, Toivo Mukwendje beat Mathias Johannes with a second-round knockout, Immanuel Andeleki beat Leonard Shemuvalula on points over four rounds and Sakaria Lukas beat David Egumbo on a second round technical knockout.\

http://www.namibian.com.na/sport/local/full-story/archive/2012/september/article/shihepo-mwetupunga-in-bloody-encounter/

It’s all systems go for Saturday night’s boxing bonanza after all the boxers passed their medicals and had their weigh ins on Friday afternoon.

The only boxer who had a slight weight problem was Wilbeforce Shihepo but he managed to make the required limit after a short workout.

Shihepo will defend his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title against compatriot Johannes Mwetupunga over 12 rounds.

Mwetupunga easily made the weight limit of 76,36kg by weighing in at 75,60kg, but Shihepo initially weighed in slightly over the limit at 76,55kg. After a short workout he however weighed in at 75,98kg.

Immanuel Naidjala and Luis Singo of Ecuador who will feature in the evening’s main fight both made the bantamweight limit of 53,52kg. Singo comfortably made the limit, weighing in at 53,05kg, while Naidjala weighed in at 53,40kg.

Tommy Hango and Sackey Shikukutu who will fight it out for the vacant interim WBO African welterweight title both comfortably made the 66,68kg weight limit.

Hango weighed in at 65,80kg, while Shikukutu weighed in at 65,60kg.

The WBO vice president for Africa Andrew Smale who was also in attendance, said he was looking forward to the boxing and congratulated Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias on his efforts to promote boxing in Namibia.

“It’s good to be back in Namibia for such a big night of boxing and I’d like to congratulate Nestor. The last tournament (in July) got everyone buzzing, even beyond Namibia’s borders. It’s also nice to see that there are some local match-ups and title fights and I always look on the undercard to see what new talent is emerging,” he said.

Tobias meanwhile said that ticket sales had gone well although there were still tickets available both for individuals and for tables.

“We have already sold more than 10 tables but there are still a few tables left, while there is also still room for more individuals,” he said.

The tickets cost N$100 per person or N$10 000 per table and they can be purchased at the Namibian Boxing Control office or at the Windhoek Country Club.

Tobias said it should be an exciting evening of boxing.

“The boxers are all ready to go and hungry to win. It should be a great evening’s boxing,” he said.

The action starts at 18h30 and the programme for the evening is attached.

http://www.namibiasport.com.na/node/25788

HIGHLIGHT … Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias with Luis Singo (left) from Ecuador and Namibia’s WBO Interim bantamweight African champion Immanuel Naidjala. Photo: Helge Schutz

IMMANUEL ‘Prince’ Naidjala has vowed to knock out Ecuador’s Luis ‘El Gallo’ Singo when they meet in an international non-title bantamweight fight on Saturday night.

Naidjala and Singo came face to face for the first time at a press conference in Windhoek yesterday where Naidjala confidently predicted a knockout.
“I want to welcome my opponent here in Namibia. I’m so grateful that he at least landed here because that was the worry [that he wouldn’t arrive]. I respect him as a man because of his record but as a boxer I don’t respect him at all,” he said.
“One thing I can promise him is that this will be one of his hardest defeats in one of his hardest fights because that day he will have to fall and he will have to fall hard,” he added.
Singo has a lot of experience with a record of 15 wins, 10 defeats and 2 draws, although he is probably past his prime at the age of 37. He has lost his last five fights while his last victory came nearly two years ago in October 2010.
Naidjala is one of Namibia’s hottest boxing prospects and at age 27, will have youth on his side. He is still undefeated after 14 fights and is currently the interim WBO African bantamweight champion, while he is also ranked seventh in the world by the WBO.
Naidjala said he had trained hard for the fight and had worked on some new tactics that he would display in the ring.
“My preparations have gone well. When my promoter told me about this fight I was very excited. It’s one of my biggest fights against a fighter from outside Africa and that alone encouraged me to train harder. The things that we put into this preparation, we haven’t done before and I promise you I’ll be able to show that on Saturday night,” he said.
“I’m just concentrating on the future and him (Singo) being in front of me. I hope he’s fast enough because looking at his age, I don’t know, and I’ll make him a punching bag that day,” he added.
Speaking through an interpreter, Singo thanked Namibian boxing promoter Nestor Tobias and the Namibian people for inviting him to Namibia.
“He has trained very hard and he has already been overseas a couple of times in Europe as well as Latin America where he has fought some good boxers. He will do his best on Saturday night to win the fight so that he can take the victory back to his country,” he’s interpreter said.

SHIHEPO’S TIME

In the main curtain-raiser, Wilbeforce Shihepo will defend his WBO Africa Super Middleweight title against compatriot Johannes Mwetupunga. Shihepo called on his fans to arrive early because he said the fight could be over quickly.
“This is my time to get back on the map again and I’m ready for Saturday. The fans better come in early because whenever I get a chance to catch him, he’ll be gone,” he said.
In another exciting match up, Tommy Hango will face Sackey Shikukutu in a rematch. Hango beat Shikukutu on a split decision on June 9 to win the Namibian welterweight title and this time the two boxers will fight it out for the vacant interim WBO Africa welterweight title over 12 rounds.
“I lost to this guy [Hango] last time, so he was the winner and I want him to prove himself again that he is the real man. Since I made my comeback I have not won a fight. I drew one fight and then lost a fight, so this is my time to mark a win on my record,” Shikukutu said.
There will be four other fights on the undercard. Peter Malakia and Samuel Kapapu will fight for the vacant Namibian lightweight title over 10 rounds, while Sakaria Lukas will fight David Egumbo in a 58kg catchweight fight over four rounds.
Immanuel Andeleki will fight Leonard Shemuvalula in a lightweight fight over four rounds, while Toivo Mukwendje will fight Mathias Johannes in a junior lightweight fight over four rounds.
Tickets cost N$100 per person or N$10 000 per table and are available at Computicket at Shoprite Checkers, at the Namibian Boxing Control Board or at the Windhoek Country Club.

http://www.namibian.com.na/sport/local/full-story/archive/2012/september/article/prince-promises-singo-ko/

WINDHOEK – He might have been out of action for a considerable time but that does not dampen the spirits of Namibia’s flamboyant super middleweight boxer and World Boxing Organization (WBO) Africa champion Wilberforce Shihepo, ahead of his eagerly awaited clash against compatriot Johannes “Tito” Mwetupanga.
The much-adored Shihepo has promised to beat the lights out of his opponent when he makes his second title defense against the untested Mwetupanga over 12 rounds at the Windhoek Country Club on Saturday.
The motor-mouth Shihepo boasts a patchy record of 17 wins, six defeats and one draw from 24 bouts since joining the paid ranks, while his opponent enjoys a more respectable record of 11 victories under his belt and three losses from 14 bouts – but the genuine quality of his victims remains open for debate. Still licking his wounds after his surprise defeat against old foe Tommy Hango earlier this year, local boxing sensation and crowd favourite Sackey “Izinyoka” Shikukutu will be out to set things aright when he squares off against the equally hard punching Hango in a rematch for the vacant WBO Africa interim welterweight title over 12 rounds. In the main bout, Imms “Prince” Naindjala will face his sternest test yet when the cat-footed unbeaten pugilist trades leather with Luis Singo from Ecuador in an international bantamweight non-title 10-rounder.
Judging from his somewhat fragile record of 10 losses, 14 wins and 2 draws from 26 fights – Singo should pose very little danger if any for Naindjala. In other action, Peter “The Butcher” Malakia takes on Samuel Kapapu for the vacant national lightweight title over 10 rounds, while Sakaria Lukas and David Egumbo square off in a non-title catch weight four-rounder.
Lightweight debutant Leonard Shemuvalula comes up against fellow rookie opponent Immanuel Andeleke over four rounds with Toivo Mukwendje and Mathias Johannes also in action over four rounds in a non-title junior lightweight bouts. Matheurs Shiimbi and Steven Shimbonde complete the lineup via a low-key non-title four-rounder in the catch weight division.

http://www.newera.com.na/articles/47416/Boxing-fist-fest-at-Country-Club