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Home / Cupboard love as boxing promoters burn the candle at both ends
Cupboard love as boxing promoters burn the candle at both ends
2015-08-21Staff Report 2 Contrary to a recent announcement by some local boxing promoters claiming that former world boxing champion Harry Simon is to fight for the vacant unified IBO/WBU light heavyweight world titles – it has since emerged that the announcement was a cock and bull story and totally misleading. Please don’t get me wrong, and before you crucify yours truly on your misplaced account that there is a campaign against Simon, it should be noted that every sober-minded Namibian, including the scribe, likes and adores the brother for what he’s achieved in world boxing. But it has now become a sickening tendency of fly-by-night boxing promoters to mislead the general public in an effort to lure unsuspecting boxing enthusiasts to their events but alas, twisting the truth is tantamount to feeding people with half-fermented beer. It has been reported that Harry Simon, who has been included in one of the under card bouts in Ongwediva later this month, will be using the bout as preparation for his upcoming International Boxing Organization (IBO) title bout against a yet to be named opponent. This bizarre announcement was made during the launch of the newly established Salute Boxing Academy’s maiden boxing tourney, slated for the 26th of this month. Simon is billed to appear in one of the curtain raiser bouts as the chief drawcard in sparring sessions against yet to be named opponents. From what yours truly could gather, in order for any boxer to fight for an internationally recognized world title, he must be ranked inside the top 30 on the world rankings, which is not the case with Simon. Now the fundamental question that needs to be addressed is why is the presiding body, in this case, the Namibia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, mum on such misleading announcements. In any decent structures, credible organizations would be obliged to pronounce themselves on such misleading facts and call the culprits to order. As it stands, it appears that our boxing bosses would stop at nothing in supporting every fly-by-night boxing promoter or academy, notwithstanding their shoddy pedigrees – just because they are proving an apparent challenge and competition to Namibia’s world-acclaimed boxing promoter Nestor ‘Sunshine’ Tobias. Ag sies tog! There is presumptive evidence that these boxing promoters are deliberately using Simon’s name with sinister intentions to solicit support and sponsorships from unsuspecting donors, by misleading the general public with such cock and bull stories. Let’s draw the line on Thai excursions HELLO!!! Did I hear some people singing praises for Namibian footballers’ invasion of the lowly ranked Thailand Football League? As much as yours truly would like to applaud the likes of Sadney Uri-Khob and Awilo Stephanus for landing lucrative contracts in the Thai league, I’m not entirely comfortable with the practice of our footballers taking the easy route to international football. Truth be told, this is a step backwards and one cannot close your eyes and start to celebrate mediocrity since statistics don’t lie. Thailand is rated way below Namibia on the FIFA world rankings at 139, which is 28 places off the pace in comparison to Namibia’s 111. So, one is inclined to conclude that such a move is bound to weaken and stall the progress of our supposedly international stars. We should strive to get our players into strong leagues on the African continent such as Angola, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the DRC. On a rather sad note, tragedy has struck Namibian football for the umpteenth time with the passing of former Black Africa flying winger, uncle Gotthardt ‘Black’ Kangootui, who exited the game of life, at the Katutura State Hospital on Wednesday evening. A streetwise bloke, Uncle Black was your typical chap from the old block and also had a short coaching stint with Katutra glamour football club African Stars in 1980. May his soul rest in eternal peace, in one piece. 2015-08-21Staff Report 2
