WBO junior lightweight title is in the bag

Local boxer Jeremiah 'Lowkey' Nakathila outclassed his opponent, Hungarian Zoltan Kovacs, in the eighth round of their bout at the Independence Legacy Fight Part Two tournament to win the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) junior lightweight title. The Namibian, promoted by MTC Nestor Sunshine Tobias Boxing and Fitness Academy, showed boxing fans why he should get a chance to challenge for the WBO world super lightweight title currently held by Japan's Masayuki Ito after making a practice session out of Hungary's highly ranked Kovacs.From the word go Nakathila meant business and brought Kovacs down in the first round. But Kovacs beat the referee's count and continued with the fight. The Namibian brought the fight to the visitor but even though he was receiving all sorts of pain through blows to his body, the Hungarian stood tall. The crowd kept asking for more and in the seventh round, Kovacs again fell but once again beat the count. Nakathila kept the intensity going and eventually the referee had to stop the fight in the eighth round because Kovacs, despite managing to stay on his feet, had received too much punishment for one night. The emotional Kovacs eventually accepted defeat and shook the Namibian's hand after the fight. “I knew I was going to knock him out. It was just a matter of time because I was hurting him. I showed the world that I'm ready to challenge for the world title. This is just a signal to the world,” said Nakathila. He said he could fight anyone in the division, which also has Ryan Garcia and Lamont Roach of the US, but that he was going after Ito. Nakathila is not the only one smiling after Saturday night's boxing tournament. Local boxer Mike Shonena also refreshed boxing fans' minds as to why he is the man to beat. Shonena successfully defended his WBO Africa welterweight title against Shadrack Ignas of Tanzania. Always accurate and a strong puncher, Shonena ended his fight in the fourth round of a 12-round bout. Ignas surrendered after receiving heavy blows to his body. Young boxer Harry Simon Jr is following in the footsteps of great boxers after beating the feisty Andreas Nghinananye in the first round of their eight-round bout to be crowned the Namibian junior welterweight champion. Nghinananye came out of his corner throwing punches at Simon Jr, who let the boxer in before knocking him down. The Namibians were in a class of their own, with Paulinus Paulus knocking out Limbani Masamba of Malawi in the first round in a middleweight fight, while Emmanuel Mungandjela knocked out Chikondi Makawa of Malawi in the fourth round of their welterweight fight. The super bantamweight fight between Timoteus Shuulula and Niikoti Johannes was decided on points. Johannes won the fight on a split decision as the judges scored the fight 56-57, 57-56 and 56-58. The scheduled fight between Onesmus Nekundi and Joseph Joseph did not take place. Walter 'The Executioner' Kautondokwa's fight against Jacob Maganga of Tanzania was also cancelled because Maganga failed a medical test, much to the disappointment of his fans who were hoping to see the boxer back in the ring after his last failed fight against American Demetrius Andrade last year.LIMBA MUPETAMI

WBO junior lightweight title is in the bag

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-07

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WBO junior lightweight title is in the bag

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-07

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