Energy wins in the ring, but loses outside 

Fillipus ‘Energy’ Nghitumbwa won the battle in the ring, but lost it outside after failing to make the weight for his WBO Africa super bantamweight title defence on Saturday night.

Fighting in the main bout of the Dr Sam Nujoma Boxing Bonanza at a packed Windhoek Showgrounds, Nghitumbwa made short work of his Zimbabwean opponent, Hassan Milanzi, to win the fight on a second round knockout.

Nghitumbwa already put Milanzi down with a vicious body punch in the first round, and although the Zimbabwean managed to beat the count, he didn’t last long, as Nghitumbwa dropped him early in the second round after a barrage of punches. Milanzi once again beat the count, but the referee decided he had had enough and put an end to the fight.

Nghitumbwa, however, was stripped of his title after failing to make the weight at the official weigh-in on Friday, and with Hassan losing, the title has now become vacant.

Nghitumbwa’s promoter, Nestor Tobias, yesterday said Nghitumbwa failed to make the weight due to a misunderstanding.

“Boxing is a tough sport. There was a misunderstanding – when a boxer fails to make the weight limit he gets a two-hour period to try and reduce his weight.

“So Energy went out for a run to try and make the weight, but then someone told the supervisor he is not coming back. That was incorrect and we are still trying to find out who said that, but now, unfortunately, he failed to make the weight and has lost his African title,” he said.

“It’s a big disappointment and I’m not sure why he failed to make the weight, but we are a team and we will support him. Energy is a world-class fighter, so we will stand by him, and I’m confident he will become a world champion,” Tobias said.

Nghitumbwa was ranked ninth in the world by the WBO and 13th by the WBC before the fight.

Tobias said he hoped to maintain those rankings.

“Energy wants to continue fighting in the super bantamweight division, and we want to keep his world rating, so we will talk to both bodies and explain what happened. It won’t be easy, but he’s a quality boxer and I hope he will maintain his world rating and get a mandatory world title fight in the near future,” he said.

The main supporting bout between Mateus Heita and Abdul Kenert of South Africa was a thriller which had the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout as both boxers gave it their all in a superb contest.

Heita went on to retain his WBO Africa featherweight title with a unanimous points decision over 12 rounds, but Kunert pushed him all the way, as both boxers went toe to toe to the delight of the crowd.

Both boxers were superbly conditioned and Kunert often threatened to take the initiative with his quick jabs and constant pressure, but Heita each time upped the tempo and responded in kind to eventually run out a comfortable victor, with the three judges scoring it 118-110, 118-110, 118-109 in his favour.

Tobias said it was a great fight and a great performance by Heita.

“Heita is a great boxer, he is always well prepared and has a big heart and will to win. Kunert was very well prepared and pushed him all the way, so credit must go to Mateus for fighting like that. It was a great fight over 12 rounds, and I think it’s already the fight of the year,” he said.

“There is still a lot of room for improvement and we just need to keep polishing him, but I’m sure he will become a world champion,” Tobias said.

Two Namibian title fights on the undercard took place with Erastus Shapaka winning the national super flyweight title after beating Tobias Amunyela on point over 10 rounds (98-92, 98-92, 95-95), while Frederick Nghutenyane beat David Shinuna on a second-round technical knockout to win the national featherweight title.