Sunshine Academy continues grooming mission

The MTC Sunshine Boxing and Fitness Academy is keeping its eyes firmly on the future after sending two of its fighters to Botswana over the weekend. Jonas Matheus and Steven ‘Anaconda’ Shimbonde were accompanied by trainer Siegfried ‘SBK’ Kaperu to take on opponents from that country. Matheus took on Patrick Seoke over four rounds in a non-title bantamweight fight. The boxer is one of the academy’s top prospects and is said to have acquitted himself quite well despite drawing his fight. “Jonas out-boxed his opponent over the scheduled four rounds but the judges saw it differently and gave him a draw,” said Nestor Tobias, the promoter and owner of the academy. “There was no knockdown in the fight. We respect the judges’ decision and we are happy with Jonas’s performance. This shows that Namibia’s professional boxing future is bright and we should not panic,” he added. The result saw Matheus taking his record to two wins and a draw. Shimbonde, however, could not fight as his opponent weighed too little to fight in the welterweight category. Fighters in this division may weigh up to 66.68 kg but Shimbonde’s opponent weighed in at only 61 kg, which is a massive five kg under the weight limit. Despite that setback, Tobias remained optimistic about the future and reassured boxing fans that all is not lost. “We have been investing in the youth and we will keep on doing that as the future of any sport lies in the youth as the current champions will not last forever,” he said. The travelling party was expected back in the country last night, according to Tobias. WINDHOEK-SPORT REPORTER