By Kuvee Kangueehi WINDHOEK Namibian, UK-based boxer Ali Nuumbembe was crowned the new Commonwealth welterweight champion after he beat Scotland’s Kevin Anderson at the Fife Ice Arena on Friday night. Nuumbembe made a dramatic comeback in the later stages of the fight after Anderson had been on top until the seventh round but ended up losing to the Namibian on a split decision. Nuumbembe almost ended Anderson’s challenge in a dramatic eighth round that the Scot was lucky to get through. International media reports claim that Anderson struggled from the eighth round with a cut over his left eye and was disappointed to see the decision go against him. Judge Terry O’Connor scored the fight at 115-114 in Anderson’s favour while Scotland’s Vic Loughlin scored the fight 116-115 in favour of Nuumbembe. But the biggest shock for the challenger was Howard Foster’s scorecard which showed 116-112, to give the England-based fighter the title. A win for Anderson followed by a successful British title defence against Eamonn Magee in the spring could have earned the 23-year-old a European title fight. After the fight, the stunned Anderson said: “It was ridiculous. It was like fighting in Italy. “I don’t know how he could have given it to him by four rounds. I thought I won six out of the first seven and was a round ahead by the time we went into the 12th round. I thought I nicked that round, so I couldn’t believe that scorecard. But I will come back, I have plenty of time on my side.” Anderson’s promoter and manager, Tommy Gilmour, was seething at Forster’s scoring of the fight. He said: “To say that Nuumbembe won the fight by four rounds was ridiculous. I thought Kevin was one round up going into the last round and I thought that was drawn. I have complained to the British Boxing Board of Control about judges before, and it’s up to them to do something about it. A rematch is not a problem, we can do that any time, but we feel gutted about the scoring.” According to venerable Sheffield trainer Brendan Ingle, the man who moulded Naseem Hamed among many others, Nuumbembe has the tools to go all the way. “Ali’s a great prospect, and what an inspiration he would be for Namibia,” said Ingle. “The people of Glossop absolutely love him, but he’s cost Chad and Lisa a fortune, and I hope people can help him out. “He’s got a great attitude and great determination to succeed. He’s very loyal; he’s strong; he can hit; he’s accurate; he’s got good skills, good rhythm – he’s got every chance of becoming a world champion. “But it’s going to take time, patience and money. And if you haven’t got a big-time promoter behind you, and TV, it can be very difficult.” It is difficult to understand why Britain’s top promoters have not intervened. As well as Manchester 2002, Nuumbembe also competed at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. As an amateur, he racked up 144 wins in 155 fights, including 63 within the distance. And under the tutelage of trainer Bob Shannon, he has built up a useful professional record of 13 wins, one loss and one draw. Additional Reporting BBC Sport