Maurice Kambukwe
WINDHOEK – Namibia’s super featherweight boxer Jeremiah “Lowkey” Nakathila had to rely on his speed and strength to stop Zimbabwean opponent Peter Pambeni via a technical knockout in the 8th round of their mega fight on Saturday, which saw Nakathila retain his WBO Global junior lightweight title.
Nakathila took on Pambeni in the main fight of the “Champions in Action” boxing bonanza held at the Windhoek Country Club on Saturday, which also featured some of the country’s top rising boxing stars.
As he promised going into Saturday’s fight, Nakathila went into the fight highly determined to end Pambeni’s perfect winning streak on Namibian soil but it was not an easy task as the well experienced Zimbabwean kept Nakathila on his toes with some great head and body shots.
It was a heated battle right from on the onset, with the two fighters exchanging decent blows and displaying great footwork in the opening rounds. Pambeni demonstrated his quality and experience in the first three opening rounds as he peppered Nakathila with some good lefts and rights but the Namibian remained unshaken and kept coming at the Zimbabwean.
By the fourth round Nakathila had upped his tempo as he kept paddling forward in search of an early upset but Pambeni was wary of the fast and aggressive Namibian. Nakathila took the same tenacity into the fifth round and his persistence paid off when he dropped Pambeni with a strong straight hand but the Zimbabwean managed to beat the count to continue. Going into the sixth and seventh rounds, Nakathila was visibly unstoppable as kept pushing Pambeni against the ropes with some solid jabs and body shots, which weakened the Zimbabwean. The Namibian grew further in confidence and by the eighth round Pambeni was no match for Nakathila as the Namibian managed to stop him via a technical knockout. The win saw Nakathila retain his WBO Global junior lightweight belt and he remains on course for a possible shot at the world title in the not too distant future. The victory also saw Nakathila extend his record to 19 wins and one loss from 20 fights.
In the main undercard fight, Harry Simon Junior stopped Malawian opponent Limbani Chikapa in the fourth round of their junior welterweight fight to stretch his unbeaten record to 11 straight wins, while Charles Shinima defeated Thembani Mhlanga of Zimbabwe via a second round knockout.
Meanwhile, Phillipus Nghitumbwa also managed to secure a win on the night when he stopped Ronald Tamani of Zimbabwe in the second round. Paulus Amavila defeated Michael Kambunga and Abed Shikongo defeated David Haufiku. Fillipus Shaanika managed to beat Nelson Hango, while Paulus Aileka lost to Wanangula Wilhelm and Joseph Abel defeated Salatiel Moses.
Trainer and promoter Nestor Tobias from MTC Nestor Sunshine Promotions expressed satisfaction with the quality of the fights and said he’s now keen on looking for more global fights for Nakathila.
“I am very excited about this win, we put up a great show tonight. Nakathila really showed the nation what he’s capable of. He’s a very disciplined and hardworking guy and I think he deserves it. I really can’t express the excitement right now but at least this fight gives him a great chance to compete for a world title shot,” said Tobias.