2016-05-12Staff Report 2 Windhoek Incumbent World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Bantanweight world champion Moises Flores has cautioned Namibian boxer Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda to be fully prepared for their eagerly awaited fight, or face the consequences. Flores sent this message to the MTC Sunshine Camp via his Promoter Henry Rivalta from Pro Box Management. The super fight is slated for the 11th of next month at the spacious Ramatex Hall, Windhoek and will see two of the best Super Bantamweight boxers pound for pound in the world, as both world champions square off in what has been billed a “Super Fight” in global boxing. Ambunda is a two-time world champion with 25 fights to his credit that include 24 wins and one defeat, while Flores boasts a clean record of 24 wins from the same number of bouts in the paid ranks. The answer the boxing world is looking for in the June 11 bout is whether Flores will taste his first defeat and surrender his WBA world belt and whether Ambunda will become a unified world champion retaining both belts thus making him the Super Bantamweight boxer in the world. Only time will tell. “Ambunda is back in training, having recovered sufficiently from a calf injury. We’re getting him back to full fitness and working on strategies and tactics to ensure a victory on the night. “Flores is one of the best Super Bantamweight boxers in world boxing and we accord him that respect. Nevertheless, we’re not taking this fight lightly. We have to fully prepared to do battle,” says Ambunda’s handler Nestor ‘Sunshine’ Tobias. “I heard Flores warning, but we will welcome him like the tourist that he is in the Land of the Brave. We will be kind to him so that he comes back to Namibia again on holiday, but he will have to leave his WBA world title with me before I release him on the 11th of June”, Ambunda boasted. The fight promises to be one of the biggest ever staged in Namibia and the entire African continent and is expected to attract a viewership audience over 400 million, with live broadcasts in Namibia, Africa, Germany, USA and Mexico. The organisers say the tourism and hospitality industry will benefit from this event and it would therefore make sense for stakeholders, such as the Namibia Tourism Board, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to support such a high-profile sports event. Time will tell whether these stakeholders will contribute towards the N$6 million budget as the organisers are still struggling to solicit the funds to meet the required budget. So far Multichoice and Namibia Breweries have contributed N$300 000 and N$250 000 respectively. There is, therefore, still a total deficit of N$5 450 000 outstanding. A statement from the promoters indicates that they are at a loss to understand why the Namibia Sports Commission and Ministry of Youth and Sports have not contributed anything yet. 2016-05-12Staff Report 2
