Windhoek
Namibia’s undefeated junior welterweight boxer, Julius ‘Blue Machine’ Indongo, is the proud recipient of a confidence boosting gesture: the hard-punching bulky pugilist had his name listed on the World Boxing Organization (WBO) rankings for March. Indongo leapt one place from his previous 6th position on the global rankings and will be in a buoyant mood when he defends his precious WBO Africa junior welterweight belt against Tanzanian challenger Allen Komote on Saturday.
Incumbent WBO junior welterweight world champion Terence Crawford (USA) leads the rankings, followed by Jason Pagara (Phillipines), Ruslav Provodnikov (Russia), Lucas Matthyse (Argentina) and Jack Catteral (UK), in that order.
“Reaching the top five in world rankings in such a competitive weight class is a massive accolade and we will continue to push Julius until he reaches mandatory challenger status “Of course, we are fully aware it’s going to be a tough ride, but we have done it before and can do it again. This is absolutely great news for him ahead of his fight and we strongly believe his new ranking is likely to inspire him, since a win on Saturday will push the boy further up the world rankings, because once you are in the top five, anything can happen,” boasted Indongo’s handler Nestor Tobias. Indongo expressed delight with the latest developments but was quick to acknowledge that his immediate mandate is to focus on the tough challenge that awaits him in defending his title on Saturday. “He is a tough opponent, I will leave no stone unturned. We have prepared well, I’m superfit and above all confident, and that is all that matters to me right now,” bragged Indongo. The two opponents will come face to face for the first time today at 15h00 at the NBC studios, where they are scheduled to do the face-off, followed by the compulsory weigh-in ceremony tomorrow at 11h00 at the Namibia Boxing and Wrestling Control Board offices. The bout is slated for the Windhoek Country Club Resort and Casino, and starts at 18h00 with four mouth-watering under card fights on the menu.