Trainers admire Indongo

With just six days to go before Julius ‘Blue Machine’ Indongo steps into the ring, his trainers and coaches praised the IBF and IBO super lightweight world champion.Indongo has a date set with WBA world champion Ricky Burns in Glasgow, Scotland on 15 April. The man from Onumutai village, close to Ongwediva is described as a humble, hardworking person who goes the extra mile in the gym.The boxer has since his amateur days, never been shy of confidence and has always been helpful towards his fellow boxers.“I knew that he was destined for greatness from the day I saw him many years ago.“He works hard and always obeys what he is asked to do even if it proves to be difficult at times.“I have been training him since he was young and that is why I know he has something special in him,” trainer SBK Kaperu said.Kaperu says that even when the boxer faced difficult times in his career, the 34-year-old always found a way to bounce back.He is described as a warrior who sticks to what he wants even if the odds are stacked against him. Many did not know the world champion until he turned professional back in 2009.However, at amateur level he was as fearless and determined as he is now.Indongo has travelled the world and earned several accolades during his days as a junior boxer.“He was improving with every fight he fought and this is what made us believe in him more.“Indongo is not just like any ordinary person, because what he does at times, is simply out of this world.“The fact that he sacrificed time to spend with his family just to box has made him one of the greatest in world boxing history,” Kaperu further said. Attention to tactics is one of the things that has made the boxer who he is at the moment.Trainer Joseph Hantindi shares the same opinions as Kaperu, describing Indongo as man of dignity and courage.“He is never taken by the lavish life that so many people fall into when they earn extra money. “This guy had to struggle, coming to the gym every day, because of transport issues - not even that broke his spirit,” Hantindi remembers.Indongo is known to have displayed enormous admiration towards Josef since his amateur boxing days. “I know how hard he has worked for this and that is why it gets me emotional whenever he achieves something great,” Hantindi said.MTC Nestor ‘Sunshine’ Tobias Fitness and Boxing Academy coach Immanuel Moses feels that Indongo deserves all the praise he received so far.“I believe that all of us at the gym have great admiration for Indongo, because of the person he is.“Working with him has always been easy, given that he has a great understanding of what he is here to do.“He is just like many of our [other] boxers who became African and world champions.“I have known him for way too long to have any doubt about [the success of] his next fight,” Moses says.Former world champion Paulus Ambunda who once fought and lost to Indongo in their amateur days praised the boxer, having known him since they were young, saying Indongo has the heart of a lion.“He is one of the guys you do not want to fight against, because he is very strong.“Indongo keeps his focus on his training and is always willing to do more whenever he is at the gym.“His preparation did not start today, it started the moment he decided he wanted to be a boxer.“I wish him all the best and hope he brings the WBA title and his two tiles back home,” Ambunda said last week. Indongo remains undefeated in his professional boxing career and is looking forward to becoming Namibia’s first triple world title holder.He has a record of 21 wins in 21 professional fights, with 11 of them by knockout.The boxer captured the IBO and IBF titles with a first-round knockout against Russia’s Edward Troyanovsky in Moscow in December.Before the fight in Moscow, the world champion defended his WBO Africa super lightweight title on five occasions.“I would have not been who I am if it was not for my promoters, trainers, fans and family. “When you are in that corner of the ring, the coaches and trainers are the guys I rely on the most.“These are the guys that must get the most praise. They do remarkable things in the ringside corner.“Thanks to them, I am going to Scotland ready and prepared for war,” Indongo said. Indongo has his name in the history books for being the first Namibian to hold two world titles at the same time, but he nevertheless has a daunting task ahead of him.The boxer will not only have to outclass the Scotsman away from home, but he will also have to impress a panel of British judges.“I am very confident that Indongo will not be intimidated by fighting away from home.“We have prepared him physically and mentally for the past couple of months.“His movement during training has continually improved and that gives us more reason to believe the title will come to Namibia,” Kaperu adds.Indongo and his team left for Scotland on Saturday afternoon and return on 17 April.Promoter Nestor Tobias says, “The champ has been and will be ready for this fight.“This is a big fight, bigger than the one which took place in Moscow, because there are three titles involved.“He has been working hard for this one and the blessings he received from the president of Namibia, the founding father and the mayor of Windhoek are already motivation for him.“They are saying that he gained the win from a lucky punch in Moscow. Well, let them see that lucky punch again.”Jesse Jackson Kauraisa.

Trainers admire Indongo

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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Trainers admire Indongo

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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