… WBO world title challenge tomorrow
WINDHOEK – While many international boxing enthusiasts worldwide might consider Japanese boxer Tomoki Kameda unstoppable and incomparable, Namibia’s equally undefeated pugilist Immanuel ‘The Prince’ Naidjala is having none of that and has promised to make Kameda look like any other opponent on his long list of casualties.
Naidjala, who’s the current International Boxing Federation (IBF) international bantamweight champion and also holds the WBO bantamweight African crown, will confront the Japanese for the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) bantamweight world title in Japan tomorrow.
WBO bantamweight incumbent champion Kameda boasts an undefeated record of 28 wins with 18 of the bouts failing to reach the full distance and was last seen in action when he defeated Namibia’s Paulus Ambunda to capture the bantamweight world throne.
For Naidjala, who now takes on a world class boxer such as Kameda in his own backyard and not to mention all those thousands of Japanese who would be cheering for Kameda, the fight will not only be about contesting for a world title but the young hard-punching Naidjala will also be carrying the hopes of all Namibians desperate to see him become the country’s only 4th boxer to win a world title – emulating the feats previously achieved by Harry Simon, Paulus Moses and Paulus Ambunda.
Ahead of his departure to Japan last week, Naidjala was confident and promised not to get carried away by fighting on a big stage in front of thousands of spectators. Needless to say, given Naidjala’s ‘never-surrender’ attitude and ‘face-to-face’ aggressive style of fighting, a real crackerjack affair is in the offing when the two boxers lock horns.
For his part, Kameda in an interview with the Japanese media said if Naidjala goes with an out-boxing plan, he’ll be ready. If he wants to brawl, he can bring it on. “If he’s circling, I can chase him down. If he wants to slug it out, I’m fine with that,” said Kameda, after putting in about one hour of training in a practice open to the media.
• Additional reporting: The Japan Times
By Otniel Hembapu