One of Namibia’s exciting upcoming boxers Mateus Heita is scheduled to fight in Zimbabwe next month.
This is after his highly anticipated fight against British boxer Hopey Price collapsed.
Heita was scheduled to fight the Briton on 2 July in the United Kingdom in the Super Bantamweight category.
Speaking during the launch of the Nestor Sunshine Tobias Academy Youth Development Programme, Heita expressed his disappointment on the rescheduling of the Price fight but said he will use the Zimbabwe bout as preparation for his European debut.
The 25-year-old Namibian’s opponent in Zimbabwe is yet to be named.
“I am currently focused on the upcoming fight in Zimbabwe, which I believe is very important as it will help me enhance my record and improve my ranking. Although I am unsure about the opponent, I am ready for the challenge,” Heita said.
He emphasised the significance of making a strong statement in his European debut and expressed his happiness and anticipation for the new date. “Although I have been preparing for some time now, I still believe this (postponement) will give me ample time to get ready for my European debut. It is always good to make a statement during your debut. I am happy and looking forward to the new date,” he said Joining Heita in Zimbabwe will be three other boxers from the MTC Nestor Sunshine stable, namely Onesmus Nekundi, Sebastian Nathanael, and Nestor Amukoto.
Promoter Nestor Tobias also expressed confidence in the rescheduling process.
“We remain positive that a new date and venue will be announced, but for now, we are focusing on our programme,” Tobias stated.
In addition to the upcoming bouts, the prominent stable announced a new development programme, aimed at assisting amateur boxers in their personal and boxing development.
Under the theme ‘Fighting for Youth Empowerment, and with Gloves We Give,’ the programme will focus on giving back to the community.
The stable plans to host monthly boxing events to provide amateur boxers with much-needed exposure while also supporting school-going children by providing necessary items such as stationery.
Recognising the need to nurture and support amateur boxers, Tobias said he noticed that they were only focused on professional boxers, leaving the upcoming and amateur boxers in limbo. “That’s why we decided to revive this programme and host the first event on 15 July, followed by another one on 12 August.”