Dark days for Sunshine

LIMBA MUPETAMI



Walter 'Executioner' Kautondokwa stumbled to a unanimous point's defeat - the first of his career - to Demetrius Andrade in the early hours of yesterday morning in Boston, Massachusetts.

The local boxer stepped up to contend for the vacant World Boxing Organisation (WBO) middleweight title on short notice, after champion Billy Joe Saunders failed a drug test and was denied a boxing licence in Massachusetts.

Kautondokwa, who had recorded 17 straight knockouts before the world title fight, depended on his power to floor Andrade, but ended up being outclassed. The fight, however, put the unknown Namibian into the global spotlight, despite him tasting defeat at the hands of the more skilful and slick American.

Andrade, who is now undefeated after 26 fights, knocked down Kautondokwa four times in the first four rounds - once in the first and third and twice in the fourth - according to Sporting News.

Judges Glen Feldman and Marcus McDonnell scored the fight 120-104, while Ramon Cerdan scored it 119-105.

In the first round, Andrade dropped Kautondokwa with straight left, while the Namibian was off-balance.

Andrade sent Kautondokwa to the canvas again in the third with an overhand left that landed on the top of his opponent's head. The knockdown followed Kautondokwa's first significant offence of the fight - three punches to the body.

In the fourth, Andrade scored two more knockdowns, both with left hands to the head.

He then kept his distance for the rest of the fight, landing quick combinations to end most of the rounds, while avoiding most of Kautondokwa's counter-punched. In the end, this was good enough to see Andrade lift the belt.



'Hitman' out-pointed, retires

In other boxing news, Paulus 'Hitman' Moses lost the vacant WBO Africa lightweight title to Emmanuel 'Game Boy' Tagoe via a unanimous decision over 12 rounds in Accra, Ghana.

Tagoe toyed and dominated Moses from start to finish, using his superior jab power and attacking the Namibian with body shots.

According to a Boxing Africa report, Moses initially barely threw any punches, while opting to stand in front of Tagoe as if he were posing for a photo. Moses applied more pressure in the second round. He was largely ineffective, struggling to get past Tagoe's snapping jab.

'Game Boy' then began unloading combinations, particularly to the body, which landed cleanly.

This pattern continued throughout, as Tagoe was simply too quick for Moses.

A left hook at the end of the third seemed to stun the Namibian. With the fight slipping away, he never stepped on the gas. Another right in the fourth stopped Moses in his tracks. When the Namibian managed to get inside, he held on to Tagoe.

Moses picked up the pace in the sixth, working more in close quarters.

Still, Tagoe was in control. After the Ghanaian dominated the seventh, Moses went to work in the eighth.

Two rights got Tagoe's attention, but each time he was tagged, he responded in kind.

Moses reverted to inactivity in the ninth, barely throwing a punch.

Tagoe, on the other hand, was content to control the fight from the outside and cruise to a victory. There was little action over the final three rounds. Despite being well-behind on the scoring cards, Moses never picked up the pace, seemingly content to make it to the finish line.

Shortly after the fight, the Namibian announced his retirement from professional boxing.

Both Kautondokwa and Moses belong to MTC Nestor Sunshine Boxing Academy. No comment regarding the boxers' losses was forthcoming from promoter Nestor Tobias at the time of going to print.