The lion bows to Angel
Japhet Uutoni could not hold on to the 12th round after a series of devastating punches by his opponent.
Namibian boxer Japhet “The Lion” Uutoni lost to Angel Acosta of Puerto Rico on Saturday after a fearless display in the ring in a junior flyweight world title eliminator fight.
Uutoni put up a brave performance against the Puerto Rican in a packed arena filled with thousands of cheering supporters on Saturday.
The referee stopped the fight in the tenth round after Acosta caught the Namibian with several punches. “For Uutoni, it is back to the drawing board and he must take a month off and rest and re-group.
“He remains a great fighter and went down fighting, and we therefore have absolutely no regrets as we do not see this loss as a failure but as a learning lesson.
“He lost against the best Jnr Flyweight boxers in the world and that is certainly nothing to be ashamed of,” said Tobias.
Boxing promoter Nestor Tobias explained that a final world title eliminator is when two top-rated fighters are given an opportunity to fight each other, and the winner will become the mandatory challenger to fight the current world champion.
This meant that the Puerto Rican will now challenge for the featherweight world title, while the Namibian will have to bounce back from a disappointing defeat.
“It was certainly a tough fight, I think Acosta won fairly and I respect him for that.
“I should have done better and should have stuck to the game plan but I wanted to finish him off and that is where I went wrong.
“I gave it my all and did my best and wish to thank Nestor and my team for the world class opportunity,” Uutoni said.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
Uutoni put up a brave performance against the Puerto Rican in a packed arena filled with thousands of cheering supporters on Saturday.
The referee stopped the fight in the tenth round after Acosta caught the Namibian with several punches. “For Uutoni, it is back to the drawing board and he must take a month off and rest and re-group.
“He remains a great fighter and went down fighting, and we therefore have absolutely no regrets as we do not see this loss as a failure but as a learning lesson.
“He lost against the best Jnr Flyweight boxers in the world and that is certainly nothing to be ashamed of,” said Tobias.
Boxing promoter Nestor Tobias explained that a final world title eliminator is when two top-rated fighters are given an opportunity to fight each other, and the winner will become the mandatory challenger to fight the current world champion.
This meant that the Puerto Rican will now challenge for the featherweight world title, while the Namibian will have to bounce back from a disappointing defeat.
“It was certainly a tough fight, I think Acosta won fairly and I respect him for that.
“I should have done better and should have stuck to the game plan but I wanted to finish him off and that is where I went wrong.
“I gave it my all and did my best and wish to thank Nestor and my team for the world class opportunity,” Uutoni said.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
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