OMUTHIYA – Namibia’s first ever pre-independence professional boxer, Joseph Shikongo, better known as Joe Archer, is over the moon with the quality and rapid progress made by local boxers trading leather in the paid ranks.
The Namibian boxing icon was at ringside during last month’s historic boxing bonanza at Omuthiya Park in the Oshikoto Region and could not heap enough praise on the fighters for the near faultless fashion in which they went about their business in the ring. On a chilly night stretching into the wee hours of the morning and featuring 6 all-Namibian bouts in the undercards, the boxers peppered each other mercilessly proving that they were up there with the best in the world.
Veteran boxer Betuel ‘Tyson’ Ushona, the incumbent World Boxing Organization (WBO) Africa Welterweight champion, stole the show with a 5-star performance making short work of his title defense against his jelly-legged Ghanaian challenger, Ebehaezer Lamptey, with a 10th round stoppage that sent the large crowd into a frenzy.
Ushona dominated the fight from the outset, but could simply not land the killer punch and this is where Shikongo noticed some flaws in his repertoire.
“He is a very good boxer with a brave heart, talent, quick hands and great footwork, but his shortcomings is his inability to use his knuckles. Tyson has a tendency of hitting with a flat hand. He must learn to utilize his knuckles, because that’s the only way to send your opponent to the canvas,” says the boxing icon with white sparkling teeth that can only be found in toothbrush advertisements.
Of late, Shikongo has been burning the midnight oil to make a surprise comeback at ringside as a boxing promoter and trainer in a bid to unearth more talent and to promote promising boxers from the vast northern regions. He believes he is the right man for the job of introducing them to the tough and demanding rigours of professional boxing.
By Carlos Kambaekwa