Windhoek
In an ugly twist of events the vice-chairman of the Namibia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (NPBWCB), Ellison Hijarunguru, was left nursing his wounds after he was viciously knocked out by veteran referee-judge Herman //Garus-Oab, following an exchange of insults between the two at last Saturday’s boxing bonanza.
According to a source who witnessed the brawl, the unsanctioned fracas apparently erupted when an agitated Hijarunguru started hurling a string of unprovoked insults at //Garus-Oab, accusing the experienced referee of unprofessional conduct for apparently allowing a boxer to fight without the prescribed mouth-guard.
Despite //Garus-Oab insisting and continuously assuring Hijarunguru that Paulus Moses’ Tanzanian opponent, Sadiki Momba, indeed had a mouth-guard on, the irate Hijarunguru would have none of it, rubbishing //Garus-Oab’s assurances as hogwash.
“I really think Hijarunguru was in the wrong here, because he (//Garus-Oab) was the man in the ring close enough to inspect or see if Momba had a mouth-guard on or not. //Garus-Oab inspected the boxer beforehand and Momba was indeed armed with a red mouth-guard, visible from the ringside, where we were all seated, including Hijarunguru, who was the official bout supervisor on the night,” said the source.
After a heated exchange of unprintable words, which apparently included Hijarunguru calling //Garus-Oab a ‘useless fellow’, the two then took the spat to another level, with Hijarunguru apparently challenging the stocky //Garus-Oab to follow him outside so that they could settle the score in straight one two’s (bare-knuckled).
Upon their arrival outside //Garus-Oab, a product of the notorious Nau-Aib township in the garden town of Okahandja, wasted no time and quickly pulled out a few from his bag of tricks sending Hijarunguru to slumber land with a brutal left hook that would have left Paulus Ambunda green with envy.
According to one of our sources at the NPBWCB head office, //Garus-Oab and Hijarunguru are tomorrow expected to submit comprehensive reports to the board chairman, Kelly Nghixulifwa, where they will both clearly explain what exactly happened on Saturday leading up to the unwarranted brawl.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Nghixulifwa confirmed that the scuffle did indeed take place between the two, adding that he has requested reports from both parties so that he can decide the way forward.
“Yes indeed I’m very much aware of the incident. We are just awaiting reports from both parties so that we can review them and take appropriate action. Until I have the reports in my hands it will be a bit premature to go further into the issue, but I promise you that we will take action against whoever is found guilty, even if it is both parties”, Nghixulifwa said.