Tough test for Energy 

Phillipus ‘Energy’ Nghitumbwa will face one of his toughest tests when he takes on Yukinori Oguni of Japan at Yokohama on 13 October. 

It will be his second trip to Asia, coming 18 months after a controversial defeat to John Riel Casemiro in the Philippines and a win will put his world title bid back firmly back on track, according to his promoter Nestor Tobias. 

“Energy was rated fifth in the world when he went to Philippines last year but then he lost a controversial decision on points, so we went back to the drawing board. He started working hard and so far he has already won two fights for WBO regional titles, which has now put him back in the top ten, I believe he is number nine in the world now,” he said. 

Casemiro, meanwhile, will also feature on the same bill against Saul Sanchez of the United States, and Tobias said it will give Nghitumbwa great exposure. 

“Energy’s fight will be on the undercard of Casemiro’s fight in Yokohama,and it’s a good thing that it’s taking place in Japan, because a victory there will put him on his way to fight for the world title,” he said. 

“We are also negotiating with the promoter to try and get a rematch against Casimiro. This fight is very important for us and we are working very hard in the gym for this fight, so that he can be in top shape. He’s ready for the fight, we are just fine-tuning and working on fixing our mistakes. So come 13 October, Energy will produce another outstanding performance to get him into the top three and a mandatory fight to get him a shot at the world title,” he said. 

The two boxers both have two defeats, although Oguni is more experienced. The 36-year-old Japanese has a record of 21 wins (eight knock-outs), three draws and two losses, while the 28-year-old Nghitumbwa has a record of 14 wins (12 knock-outs) and two losses. 

Another similarity between the two is that Oguni has also fought Casemiro, with their fight also ended in controversy as it was declared a technical draw after an accidental head butt. 

Nghitumbwa said he was in top shape and ready for the fight. 

“I’ll be ready for this fight, I can’t wait for 13 October and I’ll make sure that Ill bring the victory home. Nothing will stop me from beating this guy, I’ll make it happen,” he said. 

“I’ve improved a lot since my fight against Casemiro, because I worked on correcting my mistakes. I’ve studied my opponent, and it won’t be an easy fight, but I’m sure I’ll make it, I’m ready for anything,” he said.