Sakaria ‘Desert Storm’ Lukas is in Gaborone, Botswana looking to pick up the pieces of his career following a devastating high-profile loss in November last year.
He takes on little known Issa Phiri of Zimbabwe in an international lightweight six-rounder, one of five undercards for the Botswana super bantamweight national title bout between Tefo Letshikgwane versus Onkarabile Mothibedi tonight.
The fight is promoted by Bond Boxing Gym.
Lukas was on a high before coming unstuck against up-and-coming American Raymond Ford in Cleveland Ohio.
That fight marked a career-best performance for Ford, ending the contest with a vicious left hook in the eighth round to hand Lukas only his second defeat.
The defeat left 38 -year old Lukas at a crossroads. He had impressed when earning a split draw result against Mongolia’s Tuvstsogt Nyambayar in 2022 and comfortably beat Mexican Marco Alejandro Chable.
But he was easily second best against Ford, a relative novice who outclassed the veteran Namibia with aspirations of facing the elite in the division. Billed as “international bout you can’t afford to miss” by the event organisers, it affords Lukas the opportunity to bounce back against a inexperienced fighter who has lost two of his six fights to date.
“We expect a win from Lukas but we’re not gonna sleep on Phiri. It should be just one of the fights to get back, but he have to make a statement,” Lukas’s trainer Immanuel Moses said.
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