By Carlos Kambaekwa
WINDHOEK
Namibia’s Welterweight boxer Paulus “Ali” Nuumbembe, has been thrown another lifeline following his short stint in Manchester, United Kingdom.
The 29-year old soft-spoken boxer is determined to wrestle the WBA Pan African Welterweight title away from current champion Welcome Ntsingila, from South Africa when the two boxers square up on the 20th of this month, at the Windhoek Country Club.
Nuumbembe has one eye is fixed on the unification of the more prestigious WBA Pan African and Pan Asian Welterweight title, but the Namibian must first negotiate his way past his South African opponent.
The eagerly awaited bout has been on and off for some time since the announcement was made earlier this year, but promoter Nestor Tobias says all the loose ends have been tied up and the fight will definitely go ahead on the said date. He however, admitted that he is yet to find potential sponsors for the fight.
“At the moment we don’t have a sponsor because our usual backers Telecom Namibia has exhausted their budget, but the show must go on and I’m confident we will be able to lure some Good Samaritans to come on board,” he said.
The fight will be Nuumbembe’s first outing on home soil after his return from the United Kingdom, last year.
This year also promises a bumper-boxing calendar with several professional bouts on the cards. Super Middleweight boxer Wilberforce Shihepo leads the way with a title fight against former South African champion Tshepo Mashinga for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) Junior Middleweight Title in Orlando, Soweto, Johannesburg on the 11th of next month.
Meanwhile, Tommy Hango has been pitted against the current WBA Inter-Continental Welterweight champion from Ukraine for the title, in August this year.