Namibia’s fast-rising boxer, Flame “Special One” Nangolo, successfully defended his WBO Africa junior lightweight title on Saturday night, beating Steven “Small” Bagwasi of Botswana by a unanimous decision.

The much-anticipated fight was organised by AC Promotions boxing bonanza and held at the Roman Catholic Hall in Windhoek. Slated for 10 rounds, the bout carried high stakes for both boxers, each aiming to solidify their positions in the continental rankings.

The contest began at a measured pace, with the two pugilists trading calculated punches in the opening rounds. The tempo shifted in the third round when Nangolo landed a series of clean shots, momentarily unsettling his opponent. Bagwasi, however, refused to back down, continuing to apply pressure with his own sharp jabs.

After 10 action-packed rounds, the judges unanimously awarded the fight to Nangolo, ensuring the 23-year-old retained his WBO Africa junior lightweight title.

Reflecting on victory, Nangolo credited the result to his preparation and team. “I believe this is the outcome of all the hard work we’ve been putting in since April. We had several training camps locally and across the border. I’m grateful to my team for making sure everything went according to plan. Today, I stand here with my title intact,” he said.

The win also lifted Nangolo into the top-10 of the WBO global rankings, where he now ranked eighth place in his division. Looking ahead, he expressed hunger for bigger challenges. “Being ranked among the world’s best is a sign of what I am capable of. I want to fight stronger opponents with better rankings so I can keep climbing. The dream is to keep moving up,” Nangolo added.

His coach and promoter, Imms Moses, echoed those sentiments, saying the focus is on positioning Nangolo for a world title shot. “This victory cements his place in the boxing world. The next step is to get him an opponent who is highly rated so that we can push him closer to a world title fight,” Moses said.

In other fights on the Saturday night card, Hafeni Ngesheya defeated Benjamin Dula in the lightweight division by unanimous decision. AC Boxing’s prodigy, Ruan Rispel, claimed victory against Niconar Halweendo, while Elias Moongela triumphed over Simeon Edward in the bantamweight division.

– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na