Meroro to fight in SA

NAMIBIAN super-middleweight boxer Vikapita Meroro will aim to extend his professional winning streak when he takes on South Africa’s Vusi Gaka this Saturday.

The Namibian will go into the fight at the Wembley Arena in Johannesburg with two wins from his two fights as a professional. His trainer, Nestor Tobias, told The Namibian Sport yesterday that the 20-year-old boxer stands a good chance of winning the fight, which will be one of the main supporting bouts to another international fight at the same venue.Tobias said Meroro was ready but he was disappointed that the business community had not sponsored the trip.”We have tried all over, but we have no choice but to pay it out of our pockets.It is expensive, but I think it will be good for the boxer to gain exposure and to build on his career as a professional,” he said.Meroro said he was hoping to win the fight although he had not seen the opponent in action.”I am confident about my shape and I will go for a win,” said the shy Meroro, who, according to Tobias, prefers to do his job in the ring instead of talking.Gaka has won once and lost one fight in his professional career so far.In his last fight in Windhoek, Meroro knocked out a South African opponent in the second round of his four-rounder, but according to Tobias, they will take a cautious approach this time.”Four rounds is a very short time and it will be important for Meroro to maximise his chances whenever he gets that opportunity,” he said.Tobias said Meroro was a promising young fighter and he believed that he would pull this one off.”He has a big heart and is a strong puncher.He has the power to beat any opponent on any given day,” he said.Meroro won a silver medal at the Zone Six Games in South Africa last year, while he also reached the quarter-finals at the All Africa Games in Morocco the same year.He also reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games qualifiers in 2004, and was the national champion in the middleweight category as an amateur for three consecutive years.He was champion from 2003 until last year when he turned professional.Meroro, who left for South Africa with Tobias yesterday, will be training there for the next few days and also has to take a medical test to confirm that he will be fit for the fight.Tobias praised Namibian amateur and professional boxers for doing the country proud by consistently bringing in good results when contesting on the international stage.”This code is the most successful to date and it has produced some of the finest boxers who are now making a living from it,” he said.Tobias, who trains 40 amateur fighters and 11 professionals at his gym, said money was the biggest problem for boxers in successfully pursuing their careers.”There are companies who are doing their best to support boxing such as Telecom Namibia, Air Namibia, Windhoek Country Club and the Swakopmund Hotel, but it would be good if more can come on board,” he said.His trainer, Nestor Tobias, told The Namibian Sport yesterday that the 20-year-old boxer stands a good chance of winning the fight, which will be one of the main supporting bouts to another international fight at the same venue.Tobias said Meroro was ready but he was disappointed that the business community had not sponsored the trip.”We have tried all over, but we have no choice but to pay it out of our pockets.It is expensive, but I think it will be good for the boxer to gain exposure and to build on his career as a professional,” he said.Meroro said he was hoping to win the fight although he had not seen the opponent in action.”I am confident about my shape and I will go for a win,” said the shy Meroro, who, according to Tobias, prefers to do his job in the ring instead of talking.Gaka has won once and lost one fight in his professional career so far.In his last fight in Windhoek, Meroro knocked out a South African opponent in the second round of his four-rounder, but according to Tobias, they will take a cautious approach this time.”Four rounds is a very short time and it will be important for Meroro to maximise his chances whenever he gets that opportunity,” he said.Tobias said Meroro was a promising young fighter and he believed that he would pull this one off.”He has a big heart and is a strong puncher.He has the power to beat any opponent on any given day,” he said.Meroro won a silver medal at the Zone Six Games in South Africa last year, while he also reached the quarter-finals at the All Africa Games in Morocco the same year.He also reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games qualifiers in 2004, and was the national champion in the middleweight category as an amateur for three consecutive years.He was champion from 2003 until last year when he turned professional.Meroro, who left for South Africa with Tobias yesterday, will be training there for the next few days and also has to take a medical test to confirm that he will be fit for the fight.Tobias praised Namibian amateur and professional boxers for doing the country proud by consistently bringing in good results when contesting on the international stage.”This code is the most successful to date and it has produced some of the finest boxers who are now making a living from it,” he said.Tobias, who trains 40 amateur fighters and 11 professionals at his gym, said money was the biggest problem for boxers in successfully pursuing their careers.”There are companies who are doing their best to support boxing such as Telecom Namibia, Air Namibia, Windhoek Country Club and the Swakopmund Hotel, but it would be good if more can come on board,” he said.